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LEONA MILDRED BICKNELL. 



HOW A LITTLE GIRL WENT 
TO AFRICA 

TOLD BY HERSELF 

BY 

LEONA MILDRED BICKNELL 

ILLUSTRATED FROM PHOTOGRAPHS 




BOSTON 

LEE AND SHEPARD 

1904 



LIBRARY of CONGRESS 
Two Copies Received - 

MAY 2 1904 

Copyright Entry 

CLASS *- XXc. No. 

% S k Q c 
COPY B 



Copyright, 1904, by Lee and Shepard. 

Published May, 1904. 



All Rights Reserved. 



How a Little Girl went to Afkioa. 



NortoooD $regs 

J. S. Cushing & Co. — Berwick & Smith Co. 

Norwood, Mass., U.S.A. 



€o iHg J9ear 3L£ttIe jFriento ant piagmate 
MILDRED WADSWORTH CROOKER 

THIS BOOK IS LOVINGLY DEDICATED 
BY THE AUTHOR 



INTRODUCTION 

One bright morning in the year 1892, 
in a little village nestled among the hills 
of the Green Mountain state, a baby girl 
opened her wondering blue eyes for the 
first time to look upon the scenes of this 
wide world. 

This little girl, whom I am introducing 
to you, is the one who has told in this 
volume, in her childish way, with the 
necessary editing, the story of her trip 
to Africa. I will say that I am person- 
ally acquainted with her. She is a child 
of unusual natural ability, and conceived 
the idea herself of telling other children 
the things which interested her most 

[7] 



INTRODUCTION 

during her journey to and from the dark 
continent. 

I am sure that all the little folks far 
and near, who study geography at home 
or in school, will be pleased with this 
book. Even the fathers and mothers 
cannot fail to enjoy looking at foreign 
scenes through youthful eyes. The story 
is authentic and the illustrations true 
to life. 

ELIZA H. MOKTON, 

Author of " Morton's Geographies." 



[8] 



CONTENTS 



CHAPTER PAGE 

I. Leaving Home, and a Day in New York . 13 



II. My First Sea-voyage . . . . .22 

III. A Large Church in a Great City . . 29 

IV. A Visit to the Tower of London . . 36 
V. What I saw in Westminster Abbey . . 42 

VI. Wild Animals and Wax Figures . . 50 

VII. Another Voyage, and More Wonders . 59 

VIII. My Arrival in Africa 68 

IX. Strange People, Flowers, and Fruits . 75 

X. Children of South Africa .... 82 

XL Up the East Coast to Zulu Land . . 89 

XII. First Glimpses of the Interior ... 97 

XIII. How the Boers Look and Live . . . 105 

XIV. Ostrich Farms and Diamond Mines . .113 
XV. Among the Hyenas and Natives . . 121 

XVI. Curious Aprons, and the Boom, Boom of 

Drums 130 

[9] 



CONTENTS 

OHAPTEE PAGE 

XVII. Black Babies and their Toys . » . 138 

XVIII. Frightened by Boer Soldiers . . . 145 

XIX. Terrible Sights among the Lepers . . 153 

XX. Little Boer Playmates in Trouble . . 160 

XXI. An Awful Storm at Sea, and Home again 166 



[10] 



ILLUSTRATIONS 

Leona Mildred Bicknell .... Frontispiece 

FACING PAGE 

A Farewell Visit 14 

" you are more than the earth, though you're 

such a dot" . . . . . . . .20 

Table Mountain and Cape Town .... 68 

Playmates gathering Lilies 76 

Malay Milk Carrier 78 

" Groote Schuur," Home of Cecil Rhodes . . 80 

Kafir Children 82 

Types of Children in South Africa ... 84 

A Jinrikisha 88 

A Kafir Kraal ........ 90 

Meeting of Zulu Girls 94 

A Zulu Belle 96 

" Sister Rosa," the Children's Friend ... 98 

Native Women gathering Wood .... 104 

A Typical Boer Home 108 

[11] 



ILLUSTRATIONS 



An Ostrich Farm . 

" Morning Market," Kimberley 

A Kafir Compound 

Native Woman grinding Corn 

The Inhambaan Band . 

Native Utensils and Toys . 

Trekking of the Boers 

Claremont Sanitarium, Cape Town 



FACING PAGE 

114 
116 
118 
126 
132 
144 
152 
164 



[12] 



HOW A LITTLE GIRL WENT 
TO AFRICA 




HOW A LITTLE GIRL WENT 
TO AFRICA 

CHAPTER I 

LEAVING HOME, AND A DAY IN NEW YORK 

Y parents were missionaries to 
Africa, and spent between two 
and three years there. While 
travelling with them I saw many things 
which I think will be of interest to other 
girls and boys. Perhaps you would like 
to take the trip with me in imagination. 
I will try to help you to see things just 
as we saw them. 

Our home was in the quiet little city 
of Burlington, Vermont, and as I had 

[13] 



HOW A LITTLE QIRL WENT TO AFRICA 

never taken a long journey before, I was 
much interested in getting ready for the 
trip. 

Finally the day came when the last 
box was nailed; the last trunk was 
strapped, and all was ready to go. A 
number of our friends had come from 
different parts of the state to see us off. 
The morning we were to leave was a 
bright, sunny one, on the 13th of Sep- 
tember. Our dear old white pony that 
had drawn us around since I was a baby 
had been sold. But as we all thought so 
much of him, papa had arranged with his 
new master to take him from the railway 
station. So he merrily trotted us down 
through the old streets we had passed 
over so many times, not knowing it was 
the last time his little mistress would 

[14] 




H 

M 
fl 

> 

J 
a 

< 



LEAVINa HOME 

drive him, or that I could no more give 
him the little love-pats he enjoyed so 
much. 

In spite of all the pleasure of starting, 
a few tears did come when we had to say 
the last good-by to the uncles and aunts 
who had gathered to see us off. Cousin 
Elsie's papa and mamma had already 
been in Africa about a year, and now she 
was to go with us to join them, and teach 
the little boys and girls in that far-away 
land. My dearest little friend and play- 
mate, Mildred, I did want so much to 
take with us, but our train pulled out 
with our party alone, made up of papa, 
mamma, my sister Edith, Cousin Elsie, 
and me. 

The train was filled with people coming 
and going, and I spent many hours that 

[15] 



HOW A LITTLE QIRL WENT TO AFRICA 

day watching them, and wondering where 
they were all bound for, and if they, too, 
were going to some land across the sea. 
I had plenty of time to think, and as my 
little cousin Edna had said she did not 
want us to go "for fear the cannibals 
would eat us up," I needed to be assured 
by mamma more than once that day that 
we should not meet any of those terrible 
creatures that troubled poor Eobinson 
Crusoe. 

When twilight came on, we were pass- 
ing down the Hudson Eiver. It was a 
beautiful sight. Much of the way the 
train ran near the bank of the river, and 
I watched the little steamers passing up 
and down, and tried to imagine ourselves 
living on one of them during our long 
voyage. Mamma said it was on this 

[16] 



LEAVING- HOME 

same river, in 1807, that the first steam- 
boat, The Clermont, made its first trip as 
far as Albany. 

We were all very tired when we 
reached New York City, and glad to go 
at once to a hotel where we had rooms 
for the night. It was a very large house, 
where hundreds of people stayed. My 
sister and I had a little room that opened 
off from mamma's, and I soon forgot that 
I was far from home, and slept as sweetly 
as if I was tucked safely away in my own 
little bed. 

The next day was a busy one for papa, 
buying the tickets, getting baggage to 
the wharf, and seeing that nothing was 
left behind. The great city of New York 
seemed to me to be in one great whirl. 

Everybody was in a hurry. There were 

[17] 



HOW A LITTLE GIRL WENT TO AFRICA 

cars over our heads, cars on the street, 
and cars under the ground, running in 
long tunnels made for them. 

We climbed a long stairway to the 
platform, high over the street, and soon 
a train came whizzing by. It stopped 
just long enough for us to step on, then 
we went flying along high over the heads 
of the people. Men and w^omen looked 
like boys and girls as we caught a 
glimpse of them below us. 

When everything was ready, papa took 
us for a short visit to Central Park. The 
flowers and trees were very pretty, but I 
enjoyed most of all watching the birds 
and animals in their cages. A great 
many children were playing about. I 
think many of the big girls, who have no 
green lawns at home, must bring their 

[18] 



LEAVINQ HOME 

baby brothers and sisters to care for 
them here, for I saw so many tending 
them in the park. 

One thing I forgot to tell you about 
was the high buildings in many parts of 
the city. Can you imagine, children, 
looking up at buildings over twenty 
stories high ? I could not help wondering 
if they tried to make them reach up to 
the sky like the people who built the 
Tower of Babel after the flood. 

I was so tired when the day was over, 
and we went back to our rooms ! Such 
crowds of people everywhere ! I shall 
never forget my first day in a large city. 
Papa said there were about three and 
one-half millions of people there. 

" Ah, you are so great, and I am so small, 
I hardly can think of you, world, at all." 
[19] 



HOW A LITTLE GIRL WENT TO AFRICA 

I knew now what this little memory 
gem, which we learned at school, meant, 
for I felt so small in this wide, wide 
world. 

The next morning we were up very 
early, ready to go aboard the steamer. 
In the next chapter I will tell you about 
our voyage and life at sea. 

THE WONDERFUL WORLD 

Great, wide, wonderful, beautiful world, 
With the beautiful water above you 

curled, 
And the wonderful grass upon your 

breast — 
World, you are beautifully dressed. 

The wonderful air is over me, 
And the wonderful wind is shaking the 
tree; 

[20] 




" You are niore than the earth, though you're such a dot 
You can love and think, and the world cannot." 



LEAVINa HOME 

It walks on the water and whirls the 

mills, 
And talks to itself on the top of the hills. 

You friendly earth, how far do you go, 
With wheat fields that nod, and rivers 

that flow, 
And cities and gardens, and oceans and 

isles, 
And people upon you for thousands of 

miles ? 

Ah, you are so great, and I am so small, 
I hardly can think of you, world, at all ; 
And yet when I said my prayers to-day, 
A whisper within me seemed to say : 
"You are more than the earth, though 

you're such a dot: 
You can love and think, and the world 

cannot." 

[21] 




CHAPTEE II 

MY FIBST SEA-VOYAGE 

OME with me to-day as we go down 
to the large docks and get our 
first view of the great steamer, 
St Paul, which is to carry us across the 
wide ocean. Now I had never seen a 
large ocean steamer before, and had no 
idea of their size. I supposed they were 
about like those I had been in on Lake 
Champlain and seen on the Hudson 
River. 

Imagine my surprise after walking 
down the dock a long way, by the side 
of what I thought was a large building, 

[22] 



MY FIRST SJEA-VOYAGE 

to have papa say, "This is our boat, and 

here is where we get on." I looked, but 

I could scarcely see from one end of the 

boat to the other. Papa afterward told 

me it was nearly an eighth of a mile long, 

and many feet wide. There were three 

main decks for the passengers, and these 

were filled with people, hurrying to and 

fro. Many visitors were on board to see 

their friends settled in their cabins. A 

good-natured lady, with a white cap and 

apron on, asked us the number of our 

stateroom, and then took us through the 

narrow passage-ways till we came to the 

little cabin which for the next week we 

were to call home. I wonder how many 

of my little readers have ever been in 

the cabin of an ocean steamer. 

Ours was arranged for four passengers, 
[23] 



ROW A LITTLE GIRL WENT TO AFRICA 

so it just held our family. It was about 
seven feet high, six feet long, and six 
feet wide. There were four beds, each 
about two feet wide. There were two on 
each side, one above the other. It made 
me think of trying to sleep on mamma's 
pantry shelves. I was sure I should fall 
out of such a narrow bed, but our kind 
stewardess told me that many little girls 
had slept there, and that I could imagine 
I was a little bird on the bough, being 
rocked by the wind when our boat was 
tossed by the waves. 

After putting our hand-luggage in 
place, we went out on deck again, for 
we wished to be where we could catch 
the last glimpse of our native land when 
our boat should go out of the harbor. 
At last the great bell sounded, and three 

[24] 



MY FIRST SEA-VOYAGE 

times a man went all through the boat, 
calling out, " All visitors ashore ! " Once 
more the great bell sounded, and the 
bridge which reached from the boat to 
the wharf was taken up, and we could 
see that our boat was slowly moving 
away. A little tug-boat with a pilot 
guided us safely in and out among the 
many boats in the harbor. 

Standing on a small island in the har- 
bor we saw the statue of " Liberty en- 
lightening the World." She is holding 
a torch high up in her hand. This statue 
was given to our country by France, and 
is very large. You can get a little idea 
of its size by remembering that its nose 
is over four feet long. 

For a number of hours we passed in 
sight of land, then on and on we went 

[25] 



HOW A LITTLE GIBL WENT TO AFRICA 

till all was water, water everywhere. 
We watched the sun as it set in the far 
west, and it looked as if it went down 
into the great ocean. We stayed out on 
deck until it was quite late, then we 
went to our room to try our funny little 
beds, and spend our first night at sea. 

In the morning I was anxious to be 
up early again, but as soon as I stood 
on my feet, I was — oh, so sick. If you 
have never been seasick, I cannot make 
you know how I felt. I was dizzy, and 
everything seemed to be whirling round 
and round. Papa lifted me back, and I 
was glad to lie still all that day. The 
next morning I felt better, and papa car- 
ried me out on deck in the nice fresh 
air. At first it seemed to me, when I 

tried to walk, that the deck was always 

[26] 



MY FIRST SEA-VOYAGE 

tipping and falling out from under my 
feet, but I soon got over it, and could 
run about as well as on shore. 

The fourth day out you can see with 
me a large white body moving toward us. 
It looks like a great church with many 
towers and high steeples. It may be you 
have guessed already what it is. It is 
an iceberg many times larger than our 
boat, and looks very beautiful in the 
sunshine. You can see all the colors of 
the rainbow there. 

I must not forget to tell you what a 
fright I had one day. The fire-alarm 
began to ring, and all the sailors left 
their work. Some hurried to get out 
the hose, and others lowered the life- 
boats. We all supposed the boat was 
on fire and that we should have to get out 

[27] 



ROW A LITTLE aiRL WENT TO AFRICA 

into the little life-boats; but just then the 
captain told the people it was only a fire- 
drill for the crew. They did not warn the 
people before, for they wanted all to act 
just as they would if there was really a fire. 
They have this drill once on each voyage. 
The time passed very quickly, and in 
just one week we were nearing the 
chalky cliffs of England. Every one 
wanted to be the first to catch a glimpse 
of land. At last we saw what looked 
like a bank of clouds low in the sky, 
but as we came nearer, we saw it was 
beautiful green fields, and we knew we 
should soon be in the harbor of South- 
hampton, where we were to land. We 
had our choice of going from here to Lon- 
don by boat or by train. We were glad 
to change to the cars. 

[28] 




CHAPTER III 

A LAEGE CHUECH IN A GEEAT CITY 

SPECIAL train was waiting to 
take the passengers from our 
boat to London, but the cars 
looked strange and very different from 
any I ever rode in before. They were 
short and low, and the doors were in 
the side of the cars. Each car was 
divided by partitions into six or eight 
little rooms called " compartments." 
There are only two seats in each, and 
these face each other. Only eight can 
ride in one compartment. When the 
porter came round before the train 

[29] 



HOW A LITTLE QIRL WENT TO AFRICA 

started, and locked the door, I felt as 

if I was shut up in a little box, but I 

soon forgot this in watching the new 

sights which we passed on our way. 

The grass was so green, and the little 

lields of all shapes, divided by the 

hedgerows, made me think of mamma's 

crazy-patchwork. 

We passed many beautiful homes and 

gardens, and once in a while a large 

old building, grown over with ivy, which 

papa said was an old church or a castle. 

The ride seemed very short, for in a few 

hours we were coming into the great 

city of London. When we stepped off 

the train at Waterloo Station, we were 

welcomed by friends of papa, who took 

us to the 'bus which was waiting to 

take us to our rooms, from which we 

[30] 



A LA Rail CHUB OH IN A QREAT CITY 

could best visit places of interest during 
our stay there. 

How I wish I could make you see 
London just as it looked to me. You 
know this is the largest city in the 
world. It has nearly as many people 
as are in the whole of New England. 
Most of its streets are very narrow and 
run in all directions. Papa said they 
followed what had once been foot-paths, 
and that is why they are so crooked. 
You remember our geography tells us 
that if the streets of London were placed 
end to end, they would more than reach 
across the United States from east to 
west, a distance of twenty-eight hundred 
miles. In the centre of the city no cars 
are allowed to run, only the old-fashioned 
omnibuses drawn by horses. I liked 

[31] 



HOW A LITTLE GIBL WENT TO AFRICA 

these much better than the electric cars. 
We could usually find one to take us 
just where we wished to go. They have 
seats below like our cars; then if you 
climb the little winding stairway at the 
back, as we generally did, you find on 
the top that it is filled with seats, too. It 
has a little railing all around, so you 
cannot fall off. 

Sometimes when I was tired of watch- 
ing the great buildings on all sides, I 
liked to watch the driver with his big 
coat and high hat, sitting up so straight, 
guiding his horses through the hundreds 
of teams of every kind on the street. 
Nearly all the small carriages in Lon- 
don have only two wheels. 

Once, on one of the main corners of 
the city, we were blocked for over an 

[32] 



A LARGE CHURCH IN A GREAT CITY 

hour. The teams were crowded in as 
far as we could see, and no one dared 
move till a policeman came and un- 
tangled us. No one in London is al- 
lowed to drive a horse that is lame or 
poor. They were all such fine, large 
horses ! 

One of the first places we visited was 
the great church of St. Paul's. It is the 
third largest church in the world. The 
king and queen and many of the great 
men attend service there. Thousands 
of people visit it each day. Around the 
base of the large cupola is the great 
whispering-gallery. Papa could hear my 
faintest whisper from one side to the 
other as plainly as if I stood by his side, 
although I was over a hundred feet from 
him. A beautiful chime of bells is in 

[33] 



HOW A LITTLE GIRL WENT TO AFRICA 

one tower. They sound very sweet 
when they ring. 

We attended service there several 
times, and it seemed strange while sit- 
ting in church to see the large monu- 
ments, and to think I was surrounded 
by the graves of great men. 

Not far from St. Paul's is the Bank 
of England. It covers over four acres. 
It has many, many rooms, and papa had 
to get permission before we could visit 
some of them. One room is specially 
for printing bank-notes. They told us 
that fifteen thousand new bank-notes 
are printed every day. The largest note 
ever issued by this bank was for one 
million pounds. It is framed, and is 
kept as a curiosity in the room. 

Another room is called the weighing- 
[34] 



A LARaE CHURCH IN A GREAT CITY 

room. In it are ten very large machines. 
Each has a hand which moves back 
and forth, and brings out a gold sov- 
ereign. This it places on an index. 
In a second it throws it into one of two 
piles. One pile gets all those which 
weigh just what they should ; the other, 
those which are too light. They said 
it weighed between sixty and seventy 
thousand pieces of money each day. 



[35] 




CHAPTEK IV 

A VISIT TO THE TOWER OE LONDON 

N Cheapside, one of London's busi- 
est streets, is Bow Church. All 
who are born in London, within 
the sound of Bow Bells, are called cock- 
neys. A pretty story is told in connec- 
tion with these bells. A great many 
years ago, Dick Whittington, a poor boy, 
lived in the country. He had heard of 
the great men who lived in London, 
and thought, if he could only reach 
there, his trials as a poor boy would be 
at an end. So he left his home and 
came to the city. After many struggles 

[36] 



A VISIT TO THE TOWER OF LONDON 

he became discouraged, and decided to 
return home. His only friend seemed 
to be his pet cat, and with her in his 
arms he set out. When he had gone 
as far as Highgate Hill, he sat down 
on a stone to rest. 

While sitting there, the Bow Church 
bells began to ring, and they seemed to 
say to him, " Turn again, Whittington, 
thrice mayor of London." He decided 
to put his cat down, and whichever way 
she went he would go. She started 
toward London. He followed her, and 
in time did become a great man, and was 
three times elected Lord Mayor of London. 

A stone with a little iron fence around 
it marks the place where he sat on High- 
gate Hill. On a window in a building 
opposite is a picture of Dick as he threw 

[37] 



HOW A LITTLE GIRL WENT TO AFRICA 

his cat down to see which direction she 
would take. 

Now let us go to one of the oldest 
and most interesting buildings in all 
London. This is the great Tower of 
London. It is really made up of twelve 
towers. They told us that the buildings 
and courts cover over eighteen acres. 
The White Tower, the oldest part, was 
built for William the Conqueror. The 
Tower has been used for many different 
purposes. Papa said it was once the 
home of the royal family. For many 
years it was a great prison. Many noted 
people have been imprisoned here, and 
perhaps hundreds beheaded or put to 
death in different ways. 

We went into the Brick Tower, and 
saw where Lady Jane Grey was impris- 

[38] 



A VISIT TO THE TOWER OF LONDON 

oned. We stood on the platform in the 
Tower yard, where she was put to death. 
Sir Walter Kaleigh was imprisoned for 
twelve long years in the Bloody Tower. 
On Tower Hill, William Penn, the 
founder of Pennsylvania, was born. 

The stairs are all of solid stone, but 
they are much worn by so many people 
passing over them. Up the stairs we 
visited the Armory Room. It is filled 
with knights dressed in armor. From 
this I could see how men were protected 
in battle many years ago. 

The armor consisted of the helmet, 
coat, and armor for the legs and hands. 
It was made of steel, and must have 
been very heavy. 

Sometimes the knight wore next to 
his body a suit of underwear made of 

[39] 



HOW A LITTLE aiBL WENT TO AFRICA 

tiny links of steel woven together. The 
horses also wore an armor, which cov- 
ered the head, neck, breast, and back. 

Here, too, we saw the rack which 
was used hundreds of years ago to tor- 
ture people, and the block and axe with 
which so many were beheaded. 

One of the most interesting parts of 
the Tower, to me, was the one where the 
crown jewels are kept. In a large iron 
cage in the centre of the room are many 
beautiful crowns. The one made for 
Queen Victoria is of purple velvet. 
Around it are bands of silver, set with 
nearly three thousand diamonds. In 
the front is a very large ruby. On the 
cross is a beautiful sapphire. Many 
other jewels of the royal family are 
kept there. We saw in this room the 

[40] 



A VISIT TO THE TOWER OF LONDON 

baptismal font used for christening the 
royal children. 

After spending several hours within 
the walls, we came out to the Tower 
Bridge, which crosses the Thames Kiver, 
just below the Tower. When vessels 
wish to pass up the river the central 
span is lifted in two parts to let them 
through. People who wish to cross 
the river when the span is open, 
are taken to the higher bridge by ele- 
vators, then lowered on the other side 
in the same way. 

The river was filled with little boats 

passing up and down, and we had but 

to wait a few minutes to take one to 

carry us down past the embankment to 

Westminster Abbey, which we wished 

to visit next. 

[41] 




CHAPTEK V 

WHAT I SAW IN WESTMINSTER ABBEY 

r E were all glad of a rest after 
walking about so much, and 
glad to be seated in the little 
boat away from the noise and bustle of 
the city. Between Waterloo and West- 
minster bridges we passed Cleopatra's 
Needle. This is a tall monument which 
was brought from Egypt. Papa said it 
once stood before a great temple on the 
river Nile, and was presented to the 
British government, and brought all 
those hundreds of miles to be set up 

here. 

[42] 



WHAT I SAW IN WESTMINSTER ABBEY 

All too soon we came in sight of 
Westminster Abbey, and our pleasant 
ride was at an end. Mamma said that 
we must remember as we visit West- 
minster Abbey that it is a great 
church, which has all been built by 
kings and princes. We reached there 
just in time for service, and after it 
was over a guide showed us around, 
and told us many pretty stories about 
the building of the Abbey and the 
people who are buried there. 

He said that many, many years ago 
the spot where the building now stands 
was called the " Terrible Place," it was 
so wild and lonely. Dotted about in this 
dreary marsh were many little islands. 
One of these was called "Thorny Isle," 
because so many wild thorn trees were 

[43] 



HOW A LITTLE GIRL WENT TO AFRICA 

growing on it. It is on this spot that 
Westminster Abbey now stands. When 
the trees were cut away, the island 
looked so pretty and quiet with the 
water flowing around it that King 
Edward the Confessor decided to build 
a church upon it. It was first called 
the Church of St. Peter. When it was 
finished, King Edward attended the 
first service ever held there. It was on 
Christmas Day. He was then a very 
old man, and a few days after the great 
service he was taken sick and died. So 
he was the first to be buried there. 
Later, other kings spent great sums of 
money building additions to the church, 
for they wished to make it the most 
beautiful church in the world. 

It is now filled on all sides with 

[44] 



WHAT I SAW IN WESTMINSTER ABBEY 

tombs and monuments of England's 
most noted men and women. As I 
passed up the long aisles, I read, carved 
on the stones of the floor, the names 
of those who are buried there. Among 
these I saw Gladstone, Dickens, and Sir 
Isaac Newton. 

For many who were buried in other 
places when they died, monuments have 
been placed here. This is true of 
Shakespeare and Sir John Franklin, the 
great Arctic explorer, who went nearer 
the north pole than any man had ever 
been before. He died in the far-away 
north when on his third expedition, 
and was buried under cakes of ice and 
snow. 

Our guide told us about David Living- 
stone, the great traveller and missionary 

[45] 



HOW A LITTLE GIRL WENT TO AFRICA 

to Africa. He spent over thirty years 
there. He died in a little hut which 
the natives had made for him in one 
of the great forests of Africa. 

Susi and Chumah, two of his fol- 
lowers, who had been with him many 
years, came all the way to England with 
the body of their dead master. When 
he was buried, the Abbey was filled 
with great men. Standing near his 
grave were these two poor black men 
who loved him so dearly. 

So many poets have been buried in 
the Abbey that one part of the church 
is called " Poets' Corner." Geoffrey 
Chaucer, who died in 1400, was the first 
English poet buried in Poets' Corner, 
and the last one was Alfred Tennyson, 
who died in 1892. 

[46] 



WHAT I SAW IN WESTMINSTER ABBEY 

Our guide said that when Tennyson 
was a very little boy, one Sunday morn- 
ing when all the others were at church, 
his older brother said he would give 
him something to do. He told him to 
write some verses about the flowers in 
the garden. When they came home, 
Alfred showed them his slate all cov- 
ered over with his first poem. 

Among the monuments for the great 
English writers was the bust of our 
own dear Longfellow. It seemed like 
meeting an old friend ; for who of you, 
children, do not love him for the many 
beautiful things he has written for us? 

Our guide next took us through the 
part of the Abbey called the Royal 
Tombs. Here many of the kings and 
queens of England have been buried. 

[47] 



HOW A LITTLE QIRL WENT TO AFRICA 

Close by all these kings and queens I 
saw several tombs of children. Among 
them is a monument to a little deaf- 
and-dumb girl, five years old, the prin- 
cess Catherine. 

As we passed around among the 
tombs, everything seemed very strange 
and still. No one spoke above a whis- 
per. The room was filled with the softest 
music, and it seemed to tell us it was 
a sacred place. 

Before we leave the great church I 
must take you to see a very plain, old- 
looking wooden chair. Although it is 
so scratched and battered, I am sure 
you, too, as I did, will wish to sit in 
it when you know its true story. This 
queer old chair was made nearly six 
hundred years ago. In it all the kings 

[48] 



WHAT I SAW IN WESTMINSTER ABBEY 

and queens of England sit when they 
are crowned. 

Under the seat I saw a large rough- 
looking stone. I wondered why it was 
there, and our guide told me it was the 
stone upon which the Scottish kings and 
queens had been crowned until Scotland 
was conquered. 



[49] 



CHAPTER VI 

WILD ANIMALS AND WAX FIGURES 

AFTEE spending several days in the 
different buildings of London, I 
was so glad to hear papa say one 
morning, "We will visit the Zoological 
Gardens to-day." I could hardly wait 
for the 'bus to carry us through the 
crowded streets; but at last we came to 
the gate of Regent's Park, and as we 
passed through the entrance, and I 
caught a glimpse of what was before 
us, I was more sure than ever that we 
should have a pleasant day. There are 
over sixty houses and yards where the 

[50] 



WILD ANIMALS AND WAX FiaURES 

different animals from all parts of the 
world are kept. 

In the bird-cages I saw birds of every 
kind, from our own dear little robin red- 
breast to the birds with their beautiful 
dress from far-away Australia. 

I must tell you about one little bird 
which we saw, called the satin bower- 
bird. Mamma said they were called 
this because of their beautiful satinlike 
coat of black and green. These little 
workers build a platform of twigs and 
other things, then weave an arborlike 
gallery in which they amuse themselves 
for hours, chasing one another back and 
forth through it, making bows to each 
other, and having great frolics. They 
decorate the platform and bower with 
many different things. Scarcely a day 

[51] 



HOW A LITTLE aiBL WENT TO AFRICA 

passes but they bring some new orna- 
ment for it, either a shell, feather, or 
bone. Some little bower-birds strew the 
ground around their playhouse with 
pretty flowers or fruits. 

I heard the merry laugh of the laugh- 
ing kingfishers, and listened for a long 
time to the little songsters from differ- 
ent lands. 

I shall never forget the funny little 
kiwi. Its tiny wings have no feathers 
upon them, and are hidden away under 
the small feathers on its body. It can 
only walk about, but never fly like other 
birds. 

I was much amused by the penguins. 
They made me think of little old men 
as they walked about their cages. 

I saw the animals of every size from 
[52] 



WILD ANIMALS AND WAX FIGURES 

the little field-mouse to the great ele- 
phant. I am sure if you never saw a 
giraffe, you cannot imagine how large 
they are. The crib from which they 
eat their hay and straw is up in the 
corner of the roof, over twenty feet from 
the floor. 

Then there was the Eeptile House, 
filled with all kinds of snakes ; and the 
Fish House, with fishes and diving birds. 
If any of you ever visit London, do not 
fail to spend one day at the Zoo. 

Although mamma thought little girls 
should be in bed early, even though 
they were travelling, my sister and I 
were allowed to remain up and spend 
one evening with the others at Madam 
Tussaud's Waxworks. It is a large 
building filled with scenes from real 

[53] 



HOW A LITTLE GIRL WENT TO AFRICA 

life, but all the figures are made of 
wax, and dressed as the people really 
did when living. I saw here the kings 
and queens of England, dressed in cos- 
tumes exactly like those which they had 
worn in life. 

There was Napoleon and his own 
travelling-carriage, and his favorite gar- 
den chair, which he used after he was 
banished to St. Helena. 

We saw, too, a group of our United 
States Presidents, — Washington, Lin- 
coln, Garfield, and Grover Cleveland. 
Beneath a great black awning draped 
with mourning is our late President 
McKinley. 

You cannot think how lifelike they 
are. Before we visited the rooms some 
of our friends told us we would find 

[54] 



WILD ANIMALS AND WAX FIQURES 

ourselves talking to wax figures before 
we returned, but even I was sure I 
should not. There were several in our 
party, and one lady, who had seen a 
great deal of the world, said she was 
very sure she should be able to tell wax 
figures from human beings. 

As we entered the building, she hap- 
pened to be ahead, and at once went to 
the lady attendant, who sat near the 
door, selling the Waxworks guide-book. 
She laid down the money, and said, " A 
guide-book, please." No reply. Then 
louder, " I would like a guide-book, 
please." Just then we all began to 
laugh, and she saw she had been 
trying to buy a guide-book of a wax 
woman. 

A friend told us this story of a girl 
[55] 



SOW A LITTLE GIRL WENT TO AFRICA 

whom lie knew, who visited the Wax- 
works at one time. Almost as soon as 
she entered the room, she began to in- 
quire for directions from the dignified 
policeman who guards the entrance. She 
was quite surprised when she found her 
mistake, and that he was only wax, and 
decided that one lesson was enough. 
She could not be so deceived again. A 
little later when going through another 
room, she came across another police- 
man, and said: " Oh, mamma, do look 
at this policeman. He looks as lifelike 
as the other one." She went up close 
to look into his eyes, and even pointed 
her finger at them to see if he wasn't 
enough alive to wink. He did wink, 
and almost frightened her out of her 
wits by jumping at her. He was stand- 

[56] 



WILD ANIMALS AND WAX FiaURES 

ing on purpose for people to mistake 
hini for a wax figure. 

The days passed very quickly, as there 
were so many places we wished to visit. 
When the last day came before the one 
on which we were to leave, we were all 
very tired. As I opened my eyes in the 
morning when mamma called me, I 
found it was very dark. I could not 
understand why she wished me to rise 
so early, as we had not planned to do 
much sight-seeing that day. When I 
was dressed, mamma explained that we 
should probably see no sunlight all day, 
for we were in the midst of a London 
fog. Now, children, think of the dark- 
est night you ever looked out upon, and 
you will know how everything looked 
all that day. Papa said these fogs set- 

[57] 



HOW A LITTLE GIBL WENT TO AFRICA 

tied down over London several times 
each year, and are the worst fogs known 
in all the world. Our landlady told us 
that no one left his home on those days, 
unless he was obliged to do so, and then 
people are sometimes lost only a few 
blocks from their own doors. 

This gave us a good chance to rest, 
with no temptation to travel about, and 
before night came again our travelling- 
cases were packed once more, even 
though it was all done by gaslight, and 
we were ready for an early start on 
the morrow. 



[58] 




CHAPTER VII 

ANOTHER VOYAGE AND MOEE WONDERS 

r HEN our boat left the docks at 
London, our baggage was all 
on board, but we were to take 
the train to Southampton, where we 
could meet the steamer next day. 

This time we had three weeks instead 
of one to pass upon the water, and I 
wondered if I should not get tired on the 
long voyage before we reached far-away 
Cape Town. 

Our boat was not quite as large as the 
one we had taken at New York, but our 

cabin was very cozy, with a nice sofa on 

[59] 



HOW A LITTLE QIRL WENT TO AFBICA 

one side, and everything we needed to 
make us comfortable. It was quite cool 
when we first set out, so mamma had 
left out warm clothing for us to wear in 
the evenings when we were out on deck. 
All our baggage except our valises 
and two steamer-trunks had been sent 
below. These were just high enough to 
slip under the berths, or beds. Once 
each week the baggage from below was 
brought up on deck so mamma could 
exchange our clothing, first for something 
thin and cool to wear crossing the hot 
tropics, then something warmer again as 
we went farther from the equator. There 
were several hundred people on board 
the boat, and it seemed quite like a little 
city. There was a nice band with us, 
and nearly every evening it played on 

[60] 



ANOTHER VOYAGE AND MORE WONDERS 

one of the decks. Sometimes they had a 
concert in one of the parlors, and once 
each week a dance on one of the decks. 

There was a good library, with many 
books for children, where I could go and 
read whenever I liked, and several games 
which we could play there or out on deck. 

The eighth day out from England we 
came into the harbor at Las Palmas, one 
of the Canary Islands. Almost before 
our boat was stopped, the decks were 
filled with strange-looking men and 
women from the shore. They were try- 
ing to sell the things which they had 
made. They had wicker chairs, sofas, 
tables, feather flowers, and such beauti- 
ful embroidery ! Mamma bought some 
little keepsakes for us, and some little 
gifts to mail back to the friends at home. 

[61] 



HOW A LITTLE aiRL WENT TO AFRICA 

Then, too, they had cages of such lovely 
parrots and canary-birds. Edith and I 
had a feast on the fruits of the island, 
with which some of the little boats were 
loaded. There were grapes, bananas, 
and oranges just picked from the trees. 
Our steamer was nearly surrounded 
with little row-boats. These were filled 
with dark-skinned boys, chattering away 
in what papa said was Portuguese, and 
trying to make the passengers under- 
stand that if coins were thrown into 
the water, they would dive after them. 
I watched them for a long time as the 
people would throw them a sixpence, or 
at the last even a penny, and they would 
dive into the water and catch it. Some- 
times they would bring them up in their 
teeth, and sometimes between their toes. 

[62] 



ANOTHER VOYAGE AND MORE WONDERS 

They seemed to enjoy the water as much 
as little fishes. 

As soon as the ship had taken on its 
cargo and a fresh supply of water and 
coal for the rest of the voyage, the decks 
were all cleared of the pedlers and their 
wares, and we were soon steaming out of 
the harbor once more. 

After we had been out a couple of days 
more, we passed very near the mainland 
of Africa, off the coast of Cape Verde. 
A number of the natives came out toward 
our boat in their little canoes, and I shall 
never forget their black faces. I was 
sure they must be some of the cannibals 
Cousin Edna had told us about, and I was 
so afraid they might get on to our boat, 
but we were soon far from land again. 

Edith and I passed many hours sitting 
[63] 



HOW A LITTLE GIRL WENT TO AFRICA 

on deck, watching the schools of flying- 
fishes as they went skimming over the 
water. Sometimes they seemed to be 
playing at hide-and-seek ; they would 
glide along on the surface of the water a 
little way, then disappear and come up 
again farther on. 

One day when we were standing at the 
back end of the boat, watching the water 
tumbling over the great wheel, one of the 
passengers called out : " There's a whale ! 
See him spout ! " Every one ran to that 
side of the boat, and we could see him 
blowing the water as he came to the sur- 
face to breathe. We saw several whales 
after that, and sometimes they would 
float along on the surface of the water 
near enough to our boat so we could see 
their great backs. 

[64] 



ANOTHER VOYAGE AND MORE WONDERS 

Nearly every day we met one or more 
steamers, and if they were near enough, 
our boat would signal to them, and they 
would reply. Sometimes in the evening 
our captain would salute the boat we met 
by sending up pretty sky-rockets, and 
they would always respond in the same 
way. 

A few days before and after we crossed 
the equator it was very, very warm, and 
we all stayed out on deck until it was 
quite late at night. The air was so clear 
that the stars shone much brighter than 
any I had ever seen before, and I loved 
to watch them sparkling in the sky. The 
moon, too, was very bright, so we could 
easily read by moonlight. As it shone 
upon the water, it looked like a beautiful 
path of light leading to the sky. 

[65] 



HOW A LITTLE aiRL WENT TO AFRICA 

Sometimes I grew tired of the sea, and 
longed for the beautiful green fields and 
flowers once more, instead of the same 
great ocean every day. But the days 
passed very pleasantly, for each one 
brought with it some new surprise. 

OUT ON THE OCEAN 

The sea, the sky, with waves and clouds, 

The sun with all his light, 
To guide the sailor on his way — 

The moon and stars at night. 

No land ; the sea-gulls skim the waves, 

The flying-fishes gleam 
For just a moment in the air ; 

Like silver bright they seem. 

No other sign of life except 
The great ship with her load 

[66] 



ANOTHER VOYAGE AND MORE WONDERS 

Of human hearts, as she pursues 

The ocean's rugged road. 
On the horizon far to sight, 

Waves mingle with the clouds ; 
Like endless drapery they roll, — 

Old Ocean's foam-trimmed shrouds. 

How great the sea. Its bosom broad 
Ten thousand ships doth float ; 

Its depths, — how dreary, how pro- 
found, — 
They hide full many a boat. 

And yet our God is greater still ; 
In scales He weighs the land, 

And measures out the ocean in 

The hollow of His hand. 

— F. W. Field. 



[67] 



CHAPTER VIII 

MY ARRIVAL IN AFRICA 

THE morning of the twenty-second 
day out from England, papa 
awoke us very early, and told 
us we were in sight of Table Mountain, 
and would soon be in the bay. You 
may be sure we wasted no time that 
morning in dressing, but were soon out 
on deck with the others. 

It was a clear morning, and old Table 
Mountain looked her prettiest. It is a 
long, flat-topped mountain, rising almost 
straight up from the sea. Mr. Cleghorn, 
a merchant in Cape Town, had come from 

[68] 



MY ARRIVAL IN AFRICA 

England with us, and had told us much 
about his beautiful home at the Cape, 
and how we should learn to love this 
dear old mountain. 

It is called Table Mountain because 
of its long, flat top, and it is often 
covered with a great white, fleecy cloud, 
which hangs down on each side like a 
tablecloth spread, over it. 

As we came near the docks, we saw a 
strange company of people waiting for 
the arrival of the boat. There were 
white, black, and brown faces, and 
people dressed in such odd costumes. 

We saw many of the Kafirs waiting 
to unload the cargo. They wore a piece 
of bran sack around their hips, and 
another bag opened on two sides and 
slipped over their heads like a bonnet, 

[69] 



ROW A LITTLE GIRL WENT TO AFRICA 

and left to fall over their shoulders and 

body. 

Uncle and auntie had been watching 

anxiously for our boat, and gave us, as 

well as Cousin Elsie, a warm welcome. 

It did seem good to see some of our old 

friends among the strange faces. They 

called a cab to take us up past the 

custom-house at the entrance to the 

dock. Here they got permission to land 

our baggage. Then we drove to the 

railway station about a mile away. 

Everything seemed so strange to us. 

The houses were nearly all one story 

high, made of brick, and plastered over, 

making them a dull gray color. I never 

saw a house built of lumber while I 

was in South Africa. 

Most of the streets are narrow and 
[70] 



MY ARRIVAL IN AFRICA 

have no sidewalks. The people walk 
in the middle of the streets, with the 
teams on either side of them. 

When we reached Adderly Street, on 
which the station stands, we saw many 
fine large stores and buildings. The 
street was crowded with people, and I 
wondered much who they all were, and 
where they had come from. About one- 
half of the people on the street were 
white, Dutch and English, who dressed 
much like our own Americans. 

While we were waiting for the train, 
I saw several dusky-colored Malay women 
pass. They always wear one of two 
styles of dress. The one has a very 
full skirt, hanging straight from the 
waist, with several skirts underneath, 
starched very stiff. They really looked 
[71] 



HOW A LITTLE aiBL WENT TO AFRICA 

like a big balloon as they passed on the 
street. They never wear a hat, but tie 
over their heads a bright red, yellow, 
or variegated silk handkerchief. Some- 
times, too, they throw a bright-colored 
silk shawl over their shoulders. 

The dress which they wear at weddings 
and on great occasions is usually made in 
" Princess style," with a long train. It 
is either green, red, or purple velvet. 
They decorate themselves with many 
gold and silver ornaments. On their 
feet they wear wooden sandals, held 
fast by a peg between the big and 
second toes. Such a clatter, clatter they 
made as they walked along the streets ! 

All too soon our train came in, and I 
had to leave the passers-by and speed 
away to one of the suburbs. After a 

[72] 



MY ARRIVAL IN AFRICA 

half-hour's ride we reached Plumstead, 
our first stopping-place, and uncle and 
auntie guided us to their pretty home 
in a large pine grove near the station. 

We spent a pleasant day, but when 
the shades of evening came on, the little 
cooing doves, with which the woods of 
South Africa are filled, kept up their 
plaintive sound until, for the first time 
since we left our friends in America, I 
was really homesick. In the morning 
I had quite forgotten my lonely feelings 
of the night before, and for the next 
few weeks we found much to take up 
our time. 

The people were just entering upon 
their summer, which comes in December, 
January, and February. During this 
time it is quite warm, and never rains. 

[73] 



HOW A LITTLE QIRL WENT TO AFRICA 

From May to August is their winter, 
and during that time it rains nearly 
every day. Sometimes, before we got 
accustomed to the climate, when it was 
bright and sunny in the morning we 
would go out for a walk without taking 
an umbrella, and even before we noticed 
any signs of rain the water would come 
pouring down. The people who live 
there never think of going away from 
home during the rainy season without 
being prepared for a shower, for the 
slightest little cloud seems to be filled 
with water and is sure to empty itself. 
It was always cool nights, even during 
the hottest weather, so that we needed 
at least one good blanket on our beds. 



[74] 



CHAPTER IX 

STRANGE PEOPLE; ELOWERS AND ERUITS 

INEVEB tired of the beautiful walks 
and drives around the Cape. The 
roads are hard and smooth, and we 
used often to take a run about on our 
wheels. Nearly every white person there 
rides a bicycle; they are sent from 
America or England. 

The fields and road-sides are covered 
nearly all the year with the most beauti- 
ful wild flowers ; geraniums, cacti, and 
heath abound everywhere. I saw acres 
of the most lovely calla lilies growing 
wild. They are as common as our own 

daisies and buttercups, and are called by 

[75] 



ROW A LITTLE aiRL WENT TO AFRICA 

the hateful name "pig-lily." In the 
picture you see two little children with 
whom I used sometimes to play, taken 
as they were gathering the lilies. 

The people told us there were over 
three hundred and fifty species of heather 
growing in Cape Colony. We saw the 
most beautiful orchids on the banks of 
the streams from the mountains. 

Nearly every white family has a little 
yard in front of its cottage, filled with 
cultivated flowers, which bloom the year 
round. We could have bouquets of the 
choicest roses and pinks in our rooms 
nearly all the time, picked fresh from 
the gardens. 

The mountain near its base is covered 
with the " silver-tree/' which papa said 
grows only in South Africa. The leaves 

[76] 



STRANGLE PEOPLE 

are long and narrow, and look like a 
piece of silver-colored satin. The people 
gather many of the leaves and mount 
them on cards, paint upon them, and sell 
them for a good price to travellers. 

But although the country was so beau- 
tiful, there was one thing which we 
missed very much on our rambles in the 
fields and woods. There are no dear 
little song-birds as we have here, and we 
missed their sweet voices very much. I 
learned to love the sound of the little 
cooing doves which at first made me so 
lonely, but they could not take the place 
of our own little songsters at home. 

We saw many tropical fruits growing, 
— oranges, lemons, figs, bananas, guavas, 
and loquots, — besides acres of the most 
beautiful vineyards. The grapes grow on 

[77] 



HOW A LITTLE GIRL WENT TO AFRICA 

low bushes, and are much like those we 
get from California, only even more deli- 
cious. 

The people have no cellars, so they 
buy fresh vegetables for the day from the 
"green-cart," which comes around each 
morning. These, as well as the fruit- 
carts and milk-carts, are usually driven 
by Malay or Indian drivers. In the pic- 
ture you see the man who brought us 
our milk every day. 

There were many snakes, insects, and 
spiders, which I had never seen before, 
and I had to be always on the watch 
when in the garden or field lest I should 
be bitten by them. Some of the snakes 
are quite poisonous ; also the tarantula. 
The sand of South Africa is filled with 
fleas, which were quite a nuisance to us. 

[78] 




m 

Q 



... .. •. jJ 



STRANGLE PEOPLE 

Occasionally in the garden on some 
tree or shrub we would find a little cha- 
meleon, and these Edith and I would 
sometimes watch for a long time. They 
look much like a little lizard with a long 
tail, and funny bulging eyes which turn 
quickly in all directions. When on the 
trunk of a tree or stem of a leaf, they 
would be of a light brown color, then 
when they crawled on to a green leaf they 
would become the color of the leaf 
itself. 

Instead of numbering their houses, the 
people give them a name as they would 
a child. I saw on the gate-posts such 
names as Sunnyside, Fern Glen, Alpha, 
and Omega. One of my little playmates, 
named Hazel, lived in Hazel Dean. 

Several times we visited the home of 
[79] 



HOW A LITTLE QIRL WENT TO AFRICA 

Cecil Bhodes, who has since died. His 
house was a large white one, built in old 
Dutch style, in Kondebosch, one of the 
suburbs of the city, and is called " Groote 
Schuur." Around it were many acres 
beautifully laid out and thrown open to 
visitors. Scattered about the grounds 
were cages of animals and birds. In a 
large iron cage around the mouth of a cave 
on the hillside were two great lions. One 
day mamma, with a number of friends, 
who were out on their wheels for a ride, 
thought they would go up to the lions' 
den. They dismounted going up the 
hill, but when they reached the top they 
got on again to go down the little incline 
to the cave. The lions were out in the 
yard, and watched them very closely 
through the bars, as they came near with 

[80] 



STRANGE PEOPLE 

their skirts fluttering in the wind. At 
last their courage failed, and they turned 
and ran into their cave. Mamma said 
she thought they had never seen any one 
ride on a wheel before, and they thought 
it was some terrible thing which would 
kill them. 

There were also some beautiful striped 
zebra in one part of the grounds, which 
the people had made quite tame by pet- 
ting. 

When we went into the city, I used to 
enjoy spending an hour or two in the 
Public Gardens. This is a large park 
near the centre of the city, filled with 
flowers and trees of many kinds. I used 
to enjoy sitting here and watching the 
different children as they passed by. 

[81] 




CHAPTER X 

CHILDBED OF SOUTH AFRICA 

ORE often than any other in 
South Africa, as well as farther 
in the interior, one sees the coal- 
black faces of the little Kafir boys and 
girls. They are nearly always dirty and 
ragged, many times hardly wearing enough 
clothing for you to call them dressed. 

In spite of being so dirty and neglected 
I seldom saw one without a sunny smile 
on his face. They live in little huts in 
the open fields or bushes. Yery few of 
them ever heard of Jesus, only as they 

have heard his name used on the streets. 

[82] 






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CHILDREN OF SOUTH AFRICA 

I used sometimes to go with mamma 
when she went out to teach them. She 
would gather them in classes, and teach 
them the pretty Bible stories and little 
songs. They had good voices and always 
loved to sing. 

In the picture you see a company, 
which looks very natural as they used 
to gather for their lessons. Sometimes 
their parents would sit a little distance 
away and enjoy the songs and stories 
with them. 

Then there are the Malays. Their eyes 
are black and shiny, and their hair, 
which is straight and very black, is 
nearly always oiled till it is wet, then 
braided in a long braid at the back. The 
boys always wear a round, red felt cap, 
which fits very closely over their little 

[83] 



HOW A LITTLE aiRL WENT TO AFRICA 

heads. A tiny black stem about an inch 
long stands up in the centre of the crown, 
and sometimes if their parents are mer- 
chants, or have money to dress them bet- 
ter, there is a long black tassel which is 
attached to the stem, and dangles from 
side to side. 

Occasionally I saw an Indian boy or 
girl. In the picture you see a little 
Indian girl dressed as the children are 
in their own homeland in India. 

Then there are hundreds of little 
Dutch, or Boer, children. They are usu- 
ally chubby and fair, with flaxen hair, 
and the bluest eyes. In the picture you 
see a little Boer child of whom I was 
very fond. 

No little English or Boer girl thinks 
she is dressed without her white "pina- 

[84] 



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* 





5^ 



Types of Children in South Africa. 

English Playmate. Indian Girl. 

Boer Girl. Kafir Baby. 



CHILDREN OF SOUTH AFRICA 

fore" or "tier," and she usually wears 
a pretty white sunbonnet to school and 
church. This they call a " kappa." 
The boys wear shiny white Eton collars 
and generally look very neat. 

The children never tired of hearing me 
tell of my life in America, especially of 
our winter with its snow and ice. How 
they would laugh to think of snow, like 
white feathers, coming down through the 
air! Then to think of the water get- 
ting so solid they could walk and slide 
upon it! But I could not make them 
think, even after telling them of our sport 
in winter, that they would wish to ex- 
change for it their beautiful summer 
land. 

I must tell you how the people in 
Africa do their washing. A Kafir woman 

[85] 



ROW A LITTLE GIBL WENT TO AFRICA 

usually came for ours, and after tying in 
a bundle all that could be put into a 
large sheet, she would lift it on to her 
head, and walk off with it, not even 
touching it with her hands to balance it. 
They would take it to a pond or river 
where there is a big flat rock ; then, while 
standing in the water, they would beat 
the clothes on the rock, or pound them 
with another stone, till the dirt was out. 
At Christmas time, the weather is 
usually very warm, and although the 
children celebrate it in a very different 
way, they look forward to it as much as 
we do here. One Christmas we went for 
a picnic on the beach of the Indian Ocean, 
and had a very pleasant time bathing 
and scrambling about over the rocks. 
After the tide was out, we picked up 

[86] 



CHILDREN OF SOUTH AFRICA 

the pretty shells which had been washed 
up on the beach. The shells from the 
Indian Ocean are beautiful, and quite 
different from those we find on our own 
coast. 

I must not forget to tell you how the 
people get about when they wish to take 
a little trip around the Cape. There are 
the little steam-cars, much like those in 
England, and the tram-cars on many of 
the principal streets ; then there are the 
two-wheeled hansoms, like those we see 
in our own large cities. But I am sure 
you would think it very strange, when 
you wish to ride, to step into a little 
two-wheeled gig, drawn by a black man 
dressed in the funniest way. Some- 
times they have bright-colored feathers 
or flowers in their clothes, and sometimes 

[87] 



HOW A LITTLE aiRL WENT TO AFRICA 

they fasten long horns to their heads. 
Papa said they did this to look odd and 
get the attention of the people. The gig 
is the jinrikisha of South Africa, in which 
you can ride if you should ever take a 
trip to Cape Town. 



[88] 




CHAPTER XI 

UP THE EAST COAST TO ZULU LAND 

r HILE we were at the Cape, 
the United States cruiser 
Chicago came into the harbor, 
and remained several days. They gave 
a reception to Americans, and we were 
invited to attend. 

The boat was neat and clean, and the 
officers explained how they used the 
new guns when in battle. It was very 
different from what I had supposed a 
war-ship to be. The floors in some of 
the rooms were covered with nice car- 

[89] 



HOW A LITTLE QIRL WENT TO AFRICA 

pets, and fitted up with beautiful furni- 
ture. Kefreshments were served, and 
they furnished the guests with paper 
napkins stamped with the United States 
flag and the words, " The Chicago." 

We had heard much about Natal, with 
its delicious tropical fruits, and papa 
and mamma decided to join a party who 
were going to spend their vacation there. 
One Friday morning found us aboard 
one of the English steamers which 
makes a trip up the east coast once 
each week. As we went out round 
the Cape of Good Hope, papa told me 
our boat was now on the Indian Ocean, 
and I knew we were going farther and 
farther from our dear old home in 
America. 

Our first stop was at Port Elizabeth, 

[90] 



UP THE EAST COAST TO ZULU LAND 

where our boat called for a few hours. 
We improved the time by taking a drive 
around the town. I could not see that 
it looked much different from other 
towns in South Africa. There were a 
great many black people there. A place 
is set aside for them at one end of the 
town, and they are never allowed to live 
among the whites. Each tribe, they 
told us, has a separate "kraal" or vil- 
lage, and they never are on good terms 
with each other. I could not see how 
people could tell the difference between 
a Kafir, a Fingo, or a Zulu, for they all 
looked alike to me. 

When we reached East London, our 
next stop, it was very warm, but a 
strong wind was blowing from the 
southeast. They told us these gales 

[91] 



HOW A LITTLE aiEL WENT TO AFRICA 

are very common there. The people 
call them " southeaster. " 

East London has no good harbor, and 
all who went ashore were taken in a 
little steamer which came up alongside 
of ours. I kept close hold of mamma's 
hand when we stepped into the large 
basket hung from a derrick on the ship's 
deck, and hardly dared breathe while 
we were swung round and lowered into 
the little boat. Only two were put in 
the basket at one time. Edith and 
papa followed the next time it was 
lowered. 

Our little boat tossed and bobbed 
about on the swell till I wished we had 
not come. The spray dashed over us 
till our mackintoshes were quite wet. 
I knew now why the sailors had told 

[92] 



UP THE EAST COAST TO ZULU LAND 

us to put on rubber coats. I did 
not enjoy our stay on shore, for I was 
thinking all the time of how we must 
get back, and I was so happy when it 
was over and I was on the big boat 
once more. I felt quite safe then, even 
though we did rise and fall on the big 
swell. 

When we reached Durban the sea 
was calm, and we did not mind climbing 
down the ladder to the steam-launch, 
which was waiting to carry us ashore. 
Papa found us a home while there in a 
pretty little villa near the beach, and 
our friends stopped in cottages near us. 
What fine sport we had playing on the 
long sandy beach ! I never tired of 
digging in the sand, and searching for 
the beautiful shells. Each time the 

[93] 



HOW A LITTLE GIRL WENT TO AFRICA 

tide went out it left me more of these 
little treasures, some of them not larger 
than a pin's head. I thought of Mildred 
and my other little friends so far away, 
and knew some day they would be 
pleased with the little necklaces I made 
by stringing the tiny pearl-like shells. 

The town is very pretty. Many of 
the dwelling-houses are on the hillsides 
back of the business streets. Here, too, 
were the public gardens and park, where 
we spent many hours. There was a 
beautiful fountain and all kinds of tropi- 
cal fruits and flowers. When we wished 
to go about the town, or into the country, 
we must step into a jinrikisha drawn by 
a Zulu dressed as oddly as those at the 
Cape. We enjoyed spending a few days 
on a farm near Durban. There were 

[94] 





MEETING OP ZULU GIRLS. 



UP THE EAST QOAST TO ZULU LAND 

acres of strawberries, pineapples, and 
oranges growing, beside grapes and other 
fruits. The trees in the woods were 
filled with monkeys, chattering and 
screaming at each other. They were 
not cross with people unless some one 
disturbed them. 

A few hours' ride from Durban is 
Zulu Land. The Zulus are a very brave 
people, and great warriors. Our new 
friends told us much about the terrible 
wars they had had with them. At one 
time when there were about one million 
of the other tribes living in Natal, the 
Zulus came against them, and left only 
about twenty thousand who had hidden 
among the mountains. Many of the 
people told very touching stories of 
some dear friend or relative who had 

[95] 



HOW A LITTLE aiRL WENT TO AFRICA 

been killed by them. Even now I 
shudder as I think of the stories of their 
cruel deeds. 

They are now quite peaceable, and 
nearly all the cooking and work in the 
houses is done by Zulu men, but they 
told us few of them could be hired to 
work on farms. The farm work is mostly 
done by Hindoo coolies, who are brought 
there from India. 

After a few weeks' stay papa was 
obliged to return to his work at the 
Cape. In just six days after leaving 
Durban, our boat, the Arundel Castle, 
steamed into Table Bay. 



[96] 




A ZULU BELLE. 




CHAPTER XII 

FIRST GLIMPSES OF THE INTERIOR 

HORTLY after we reached Cape 
Town a large sanitarium was 
built at Claremont, one of the 
suburbs of the city, and here we made 
our home while at the Cape. It was a 
beautiful large building, erected under 
the direction of Americans, and seemed 
much like a bit of our own home land. 
The timber for the building and the 
furniture, papa said, were all brought 
from the United States. 

While here my playmates were chil- 
dren from all parts of South Africa, and 

[97] 



ROW A LITTLE aiRL WENT TO AFRICA 

they told me many strange stories of 
their home life in different parts of the 
country, but the stories I enjoyed most 
of all were those which dear old "Sister 
Rosa" used to tell me. Now if you 
have ever been in South Africa, I am 
sure I need not introduce " Sister Rosa " 
to you. Not only at Cape Town, but 
far in the interior many, even of the 
little black girls and boys, have learned 
to love her dear old smiling face. I 
do not believe she ever saw a little girl 
or boy so black or dirty that she did 
not love them, and have a place for 
them in her big warm heart. 

Nearly thirty years ago she left her 
home in England and came to South 
Africa as a missionary nurse. All this 

time she has gone among the cities and 

[98] 




" SISTER ROSA," THE CHILDREN'S FRIEND. 



FIRST QLIMPSES OF THE INTERIOR 

kraals teaching the people, and caring 
for them when they were sick. A 
short time before we were there, she 
had been in Johannesburg during that 
terrible scourge of fever when so many 
died, and had gone day and night 
among the very poor people, caring for 
those who were sick and had no one to 
care for them. 

But one day her arm, that had done 
so much for others, was still at her 
side. She could not move it at all, 
and the people knew it had been par- 
alyzed. The wealthy people of Johan- 
nesburg, who knew of her loving deeds 
for the poor, raised a large sum of 
money to care for her as long as she 
might live. They sent her to the sani- 
tarium, where she could be treated and 

[99] 

LefC.i 



HOW A LITTLE GIRL WENT TO AFRICA 

made well again. She still loved to 
work for the poor children, and many 
times I went with her when she would 
gather up a long wagon full and take 
them for a drive or sometimes for a 
picnic in the woods. "Sister Eosa" 
always knew just what to put in the 
hampers for lunch-time, and how her 
fat sides would shake with laughing at 
the joy of the children and their odd 
speeches. I can see her now, with her 
gray dress, which she always wore, with 
the red cross worked on her sleeve, and 
her little white cap over her short curls. 
Who could help loving one so kind and 
jolly as she was? 

When after several months' stay at 
the Cape, papa and mamma decided to 
take a trip into the interior, Edith and 

[100] 



FIRST aLIMPSES OF THE INTERIOR 

I were very anxious to go with them. 
We found the conveniences for travelling 
very different from America, for we must 
take our own food and bedding with us. 
Imagine yourself with me as we went 
down to the station at Cape Town on 
the evening we were to start, where we 
got our first peep into an up-country 
train. The guard showed us to our 
compartment, which we were to occupy 
alone. Like all English cars there were 
two seats facing each other, and over 
these, about halfway to the ceiling, 
were two others which were lifted and 
fastened close to the wall. When bed- 
time came, these could be let down into 
place, and with the bedding which we 
had brought we had a bed for each 
one. I had thought the berths on the 

[101] 



HOW A LITTLE aiBL WENT TO AFRICA 

steamers very narrow, but they seemed 
wide now, as I compared them with 
these on the train. 

Between the seats in the centre of 
the compartment was a little table with 
drop-leaves, which we used for our 
meals. Mamma had filled a large ham- 
per with food, some of which could be 
easily warmed, and with the little 
alcohol stove we were prepared to get 
on nicely, even for a week's trip. 

The people had told us that the 
water in most parts of the interior is 
very poor, so we carried a supply in 
canvas bottles made for the purpose. 
All along on the shady side of the car 
you could see these bottles, which the 
people had hung out in the air to keep 
them as cool as possible. 

[102] 



FIRST aLIMPSES OF THE INTERIOR 

The first few hours' ride was beauti- 
ful. Our train climbed far up on the 
side of the Hex River Mountains, where 
we could get a fine view of the country 
for miles around. It was a grand sight 
— the mountains towering far above us 
on one side and the great chasms far 
below on the other. But this only lasted 
for a short time, for when we opened 
our eyes the next morning, the moun- 
tains were far behind us, and as we 
looked from our car windows, we could 
see only a sandy plain with nothing 
growing except the little karoo-bush. 

For hours we did not pass a single 
house. Papa said we were now cross- 
ing what was called the " Great Karoo." 
We looked from the windows till our 
eyes ached, hoping to see some new 

[103] 



HOW A LITTLE GIRL WENT TO AFRICA 

sight. The only change was a glimpse 
of a few native huts, two or three times 
a day. These were usually surrounded 
by natives, some large and some small, 
half clothed in dirty rags. The people 
called the whole open country of South 
Africa by the Dutch name " veldt." 
We made very few stops, and after 
about two days' and three nights' ride 
we reached De Aar Junction, where we 
were to take another train for the coun- 
try of the Boers. 



[104] 




."_.. I 




CHAPTER XIII 

HOW THE BOEES LOOK AND LITE 

HORTLY after we entered the 
Orange Free State, the country 
changed from the sandy waste, 
and began to look quite fresh and green. 
We saw such curious-shaped rocks, piled 
one upon another, some of them forming 
a tall column reaching far into the air. 
We saw many wild cactus plants, and 
these were covered with long, sharp 
thorns. Occasionally we passed an old 
Dutch farmhouse, and many large herds 
of cattle, sheep, and goats were grazing 
by the way. 

[105] 



HOW A LITTLE GIRL WENT TO AFRICA 

We made a short stop at Bloemfontein, 
the capital of the Free State. This is a 
pretty little city with several nice stores 
and churches. Everything we priced at 
the stores papa thought was very high, 
but he bought a few keepsakes, and 
after a short rest we were glad to start 
on our way again. 

We had heard much of the wonderful 
city of Johannesburg in the Transvaal, 
and this we were specially anxious to 
visit. Only thirteen years before, they 
told us the place where this city now 
stands was only an open field, but now 
it had become the leading city in Africa, 
even larger than Cape Town. We saw 
finer buildings here than in any other 
part of Africa. 

We spent one day visiting the great 
[106] 



HOW THE BOERS LOOK AND LIVE 

gold mines, which papa said were the 
richest in the world. They gave us some 
pieces of rock from the mines, and we 
could see the particles of gold glisten 
in the sunlight. It was very interesting 
to hear them explain how gold is mined. 

The railroad had been extended through 
Pretoria, the capital of the Transvaal, as 
far north as Pietersburg. As we all 
wished to get an idea of the real life of 
the Boers, we could not leave the Trans- 
vaal without a trip to this place. 

We had heard the English talk of 
war with the Boers ever since we reached 
Cape Town, and now we saw the prepara- 
tions being made on the part of the 
Boers. The streets of Pretoria were 
filled with soldiers, gathered here, drill- 
ing for battle. Papa showed us how 
[107] 



HOW A LITTLE QIRL WENT TO AFRICA 

breastworks had been thrown up, and 
how on every hillside around the city 
cannon had been placed. 

The people said they did not want 
war, but talked very earnestly about the 
injustice of the English, and said they 
must protect their homes. Papa said 
it made him think of when he was a 
boy, and heard the people talk before 
the Civil War. I am sure dear old 
grandpa's stories of the struggles which 
our brave soldiers passed through seem 
much more real to me after what I saw 
while in Africa. 

When we reached Pietersburg, we 
found it a queer little Dutch village of 
one-story houses and narrow streets. 
We went to the hotel — a little building 
with a slanting roof, built much like 
[108] 




H 

O 

W 

K 
O 
pq 

Hi 

<! 
O 

Ph 
>H 

H 



ROW THE BOERS LOOK AND LIVE 

our church, sheds. The doors all opened 
off from the open court, so when we 
wished to go to our rooms, we must go 
out of doors. In the room we had a 
cot bed, one chair, and a little stand. 
Over this hung a small mirror. The room 
was lighted by a flickering tallow candle 
placed in an old-fashioned candlestick. 

The second morning we found a team 
to take us out into the farming district. 
The word "Boer" we learned simply 
means "farmer," or one who tills the 
soil. They are kind and hospitable, and 
seemed glad of a visit from strangers. 
They own large farms, often covering 
thousands of acres. They have large 
families of children, often from ten to 
twenty in number. Nearly all the young 
people can read and write, for the oldest 

[109] 



HOW A LITTLE GIRL WENT TO AFRICA 

girl is sent away to the Cape or some 
other place to school, and when she has 
learned enough, she comes back home 
to act as teacher to her younger brothers 
and sisters. 

When one of the boys marries, a new 
house is built on the home farm, a short 
distance from the old homestead, so in 
time there is a little village where all 
the people bear the same name. If the 
family name should be Wessels, then 
the farm would be called Wesselton, and 
their mail would come to them directed 
to that farm. I think it must be very 
pleasant to always live so close by 
grandpa's house, and to have all the 
little cousins so near. 

In every home the Bible is always 
read at least twice each day. I never 
[110] 



ROW THE BOERS LOOK AND LIVE 

found a Boer child who had not been 
taught to pray. The Bible is usually 
the only book from which they learn 
their letters, and are taught to read. 
The people were all very fond of their 
president, Paul Kruger. Even the chil- 
dren often spoke of "Oom Paul" very 
lovingly. 

One custom I did not at first enjoy 
when visiting among the Boers. On 
coming into a home, whether acquainted 
or not, we must shake hands with every 
white person present. Mamma soon 
found that even a child who neglected 
to do this was considered very unman- 
nerly and rude. When we left, we must 
never forget to say good-by, with an- 
other hand-shake all round. 

The Boers are very fond of coffee, and 
[ill] 



HOW A LITTLE GLIRL WENT TO AFRICA 

the coffee-pot is always kept well filled 
on the stove. A few minutes after one 
calls, a cup of steaming coffee is brought 
in. We were expected to drink with 
the family at each place where we called. 
The children, as well as the grown people, 
were always served. 

The Dutch women are nearly all very 
fat. Mamma said she thought, as a rule, 
they would weigh about three hundred 
pounds. They sit in their big arm-chairs 
from morning till night, the oldest 
daughter serving the coffee and acting 
as hostess. A doctor told papa he 
thought it was the effect of having 
drunk such large quantities of strong 
coffee from childhood, which made them 
so fleshy and helpless by the time they 
were middle aged. 

[112] 




CHAPTEE XIV 

OSTEICH FARMS AND DIAMOND MINES 

ANY farmers in South Africa 
keep, besides their great herds 
of cattle and sheep, large num- 
bers of ostrich. This is a strange- 
looking bird with a long neck and legs. 
They are very swift-footed and strong, 
and the farmers told us that sometimes 
they even break a man's leg by a kick. 
During the day they are allowed to 
wander on the veldt, guarded by their 
keeper, but at night they are housed in 
kraals made for them. The men told us 
the birds would eat anything which 

[113] 



HOW A LITTLE QIRL WENT TO AFRICA 

came in their way, even nails and steel 
forks. 

They have a new crop of feathers 
each year. The keeper watches them 
closely, and picks the feathers to sell 
as soon as they are ready for market. 

Their eggs are large, one being equal 
to a dozen hen's eggs. They are good 
for cooking, and we used often to have 
an omelet made from them for breakfast. 
After spending several weeks among the 
Boers, papa said if we wished to see 
more of the interior of Africa, we must 
bid adieu to our new friends and be 
off, so we retraced our steps as far as 
De Aar Junction. 

One night, while our train was cross- 
ing the great plains, far to the south 

and east of us, we saw a great prairie 
[114] 




s 



OSTRICH FARMS AND DIAMOND MINES 

fire. It was a most beautiful sight. 
For over twenty miles the flames swept 
over the country and lit up the sky till 
it was as light as day. They told us 
that during the dry season these fires 
often do great damage. A little spark 
falling in the tall grass starts a fire 
which burns over many acres. 

At De Aar we met the train from the 
Cape headed for Kimberley and the far 
North. A little girl with whom I had 
become very well acquainted at the sani- 
tarium lived at Kimberley, and as her 
parents and mine had become fast 
friends we were invited to remain at 
their home during our stay there. 

Kimberley is a queer little city, with 
many low brick houses, and more that 
are made of corrugated iron. It was 
[115] 



HOW A LITTLE aiRL WENT TO AFRICA 

during their summer, and the weather 
was very hot in the middle of the day ; 
but toward evening it always grew cool, 
and then we could wander about as we 
pleased. 

The merchants had such strange signs 
on their stores. One store I noticed was 
kept by Messrs. Gog & Magog. In the 
centre of the city is a large open square, 
called the " Morning Market." Here the 
farmers for miles around come in with 
large, covered wagons loaded with their 
produce, and it is sold at auction in the 
early morning. One day we all rose 
very early, and went down into the city. 
It was a strange sight. The men and 
women were out buying their day's sup- 
plies, and mixed with these I saw the 
wagons of the traders from the interior, 

[116] 



OSTRICH FARMS AND DIAMOND MINES 

loaded with skins, horns, feathers, teeth, 
and tusks. 

We visited, too, the great diamond 
mines, which papa told us are the larg- 
est in the world. The diamonds are 
found in a hard, bluish green rock. 
This is taken from the mine, and sent 
in little cars to be spread out on a great 
plot of ground called the depositing 
floor, where it is left till it becomes 
softened by the action of the air and 
rain upon it. We saw the crushers at 
work, crushing these great lumps. 
After that it is run through sieves to 
remove the larger stones, then through 
the washing-machine, where the dia- 
monds are separated entirely from the 
rock. 

The work is all done by Kafirs, who 
[117] 



HOW A LITTLE GIRL WENT TO AFRICA 

are kept in a large enclosure called a 
"compound." The guard told us they 
are never allowed to leave till they are 
carefully searched, lest they steal the 
precious diamonds. Sometimes they 
try to hide them by putting them in 
their mouth or nose, and sometimes 
even cut their flesh and bury them. 

Before we left Kimberley we had our 
hampers refilled, and papa also bought 
a bushel of oranges at the " Morning 
Market." These, our friends told us, 
we should enjoy much on our long, hot 
trip to Buluwayo. When we left Kim- 
berley, our way lay through the same bar- 
ren country which we had passed over 
coming from Cape Town to De Aar, the 
only difference being that the native 
kraals were larger and oftener seen. 

[118] 



OSTRICH FARMS AND DIAMOND MINES 

After many hours' ride we would draw 
up to a little station, and the native chil- 
dren would come trooping down to the 
train. The passengers saved up their 
orange peelings and bread crusts from 
their lunch baskets, and would toss them 
from the window as the train stopped. 
I could only think of grandma as I 
had watched her throw handfuls of corn 
to her chickens, when I saw the chil- 
dren scramble over each other in their 
haste to reach their prize. 

Then they would catch a handful of 
locusts, which look much like our grass- 
hoppers, only larger, and, after motion- 
ing to the passengers to watch them, 
strip off their legs and wings, open their 
mouths wide, and toss in a locust and 
eat it with great relish. The people 

[119] 



ROW A LITTLE aiRL WENT TO AFRICA 

told us afterward that the natives hail 
the season when the locusts appear 
with joy, as they are considered a great 
treat. 



[120] 



CHAPTER XV 

AMONG THE HYENAS AND NATIVES 



T 



HE up-country trains move slowly, 
and we were glad when we knew 
our next stop would be at Bulu- 
wayo, the end of the railroad. Here we 
were met by friends, who had gone from 
America as missionaries to Matabele 
Land. Of course they were looking 
forward anxiously to our visit, as they 
saw very few white people outside their 
own mission family. 

They had lumber wagons which had 
been sent them from the United States, 
and upon the box of these were laid 

[121] 



HOW A LITTLE QIRL WENT TO AFRICA 

spring beds, which we were to occupy on 
our way out to the mission farm. The 
wagon was drawn by seven yokes of oxen 
driven by native boys, who walked by the 
side of the oxen, cracking their long whips 
and shouting in their peculiar language. 
It is too warm to travel in the burning 
rays of the sun, so all the driving is done 
in the night-time. About midnight the 
call was given to "outspan," and we 
came to a stop. It was quite a rest to 
have the jolting about cease for a time, 
and Edith and I were soon fast asleep, 
but it was a short nap, for we were 
awakened by a great shout. "The 
hyenas are coming, bunch the oxen ! " 
We were now wide awake, and in a few 
minutes a pack of hyenas came racing 
down, but they were too late to get their 
[122] 



AM ON a THE HYENAS AND NATIVES 

meal, for the oxen were gathered and 
protected by the men with their rifles. 

After this we were all anxious to 
have the men " inspan " again, and be off. 
About daybreak we came up to the mis- 
sion farm with its cluster of queer little 
thatched-roof houses. There was a store, 
where the natives came to trade, and a 
church where they gathered on the Sab- 
bath for services. But the building in 
which I was most interested was the 
orphanage, where the missionaries had 
gathered about thirty-five little native 
children. 

The missionaries told us that the 
parents of the children at the orphanage 
had died of hunger a few years before 
during a great famine, and these poor 
little ones had been gathered up from the 

[123] 



ROW A LITTLE aiRL WENT TO AFRICA 

roadside and fields to save them from 
dying, too. 

One day during the famine one of the 
missionaries, who had been to visit a 
native kraal and was returning home, 
heard a peculiar little moan in a clump 
of bushes near by. He listened a 
moment, then followed in the direction 
of the sound. He came up to an ant 
bear's hole, half hidden by the bushes, 
and found a poor little baby girl laid at 
the opening. Her mother, who knew 
that she must die, had placed her there, 
hoping the ant bear would kill her, and 
end her life sooner than to die slowly of 
starvation. A little way off lay the dead 
body of her mother where she had fallen. 
The missionary carried the little one to 
their home, and tended her carefully till 
[124] 



AMONa THE HYENAS AND NATIVES 

she was well and strong. When we 
were there she was a fat, chubby little 
girl. 

Very often near the foot-paths, crossing 
the fields, and by the roadsides, we saw 
the skeleton of some poor native who had 
died during that terrible famine. 

The children were bright and happy, 
and were being taught to read the Bible 
that they might go out when they were 
old enough and teach their own people 
about Jesus. They were nice little 
singers, and would sing for hours the 
beautiful hymns which we had learned 
at home in our Sabbath-school. 

They showed us one little boy, whom 

they found wandering on the "veldt" 

one day. He had been driven out from 

his kraal to die because he was a leper. 

[125] 



ROW A LITTLE aiRL WENT TO AFRICA 

The missionaries had built a little house 
for him, separate from the others, and 
they carried his food to him and made 
him comfortable. He, in turn, guarded 
the cattle during the day, and seemed so 
grateful for the kindness shown him. 

There were several large native kraals on 
the mission farm. These are built around 
a smooth plot of ground. Their little huts 
are made from mud and grass in the 
form of an old-fashioned bee-hive, with 
one small door at the side. There are no 
windows, and only a clay floor. 

Umlava, the chief of one of these 
kraals, wished us to go into his home, 
but we did not care to remain long. 
Inside his hut were several of his wives, 
sitting around on the clay floor. They 
seemed much amused to see white people 

[126] 



AMONa THE HYENAS AND NATIVES 

stoop down and crawl into their hut on 
their hands and knees, as one must do, 
for the doors are so low. 

Umlava gave papa a battle-axe and 
some other relics to show his good-will 
toward us. They have no beds, chairs, 
or any other furniture in their huts, but 
spread on the floor the skin of some ani- 
mal they have killed and think they have 
a beautiful bed. The women do all the 
work of raising the grain and harvesting 
it. The men spend their time in hunt- 
ing, and so provide the meat used for 
food. They raise two kinds of grain, 
which the women crush by putting it 
upon a flat rock, and rolling another 
round rock over it. It is cooked for a 
few minutes in a kettle out of doors, then 
all sit around it for their meal. Their 
[127] 



HOW A LITTLE aiRL WENT TO AFRICA 

kettles are mostly made of clay, and look 
very rough and coarse. Each has his 
wooden spoon, but all eat from the same 
dish. If the men have been hunting and 
killed an antelope, they have meat in- 
stead, but they eat only one thing at a 
single meal. 

The natives do not have guns with 
which to hunt, or even when they go to 
war. Instead they use clubs, hatchets, 
and assegais. The assegais are long 
pieces of iron, barbed in every direction. 
They are set in a long, wooden handle, 
and the natives can throw them a great 
distance. As a rule, each one carries 
several of these when he goes out from 
his kraal. I am sure you would not care 
to meet one of them alone, for they look 
very fierce ; but papa said they would 
[128] 



AMONa THE HYENAS AND NATIVES 

not harm us if we did not treat them 
unkindly. 

To defend themselves they carry on 
their arm a large oval shield made of 
ox-hide stretched over a wooden frame. 



[129] 



CHAPTER XVI 

CURIOUS APRONS, AND THE BOOM, BOOM 
OF DRUMS 

TT WONDERED at first about the curi- 
ous mounds scattered over the coun- 
try, but our friends told us they were 
built by the ants. They are several feet 
high, and are filled with ant eggs, of 
which the natives are very fond. They 
are of a golden color about the size of 
a grain of wheat. Sometimes the natives 
string these eggs and decorate themselves 
with them. One of them gave me a 
necklace made from them. 

The ants give the missionaries great 
trouble by eating out the centre of the 
[130] 



CURIOUS APRONS 

wood of which their furniture is made, 
until sometimes, when they sit on a 
chair, it goes down, for there is only a 
shell left on the surface. Sometimes, 
too, unless they watch closely, their 
houses fall down because the ants have 
eaten out the timber. 

But the ants, too, have their troubles. 
When the ant-bear, a clumsy, long-nosed 
animal, which papa said he thought usu- 
ally weighed about one hundred pounds, 
finds one of their mounds, he makes a 
little tunnel into the ground and comes 
up into their home and robs them. He 
has a long, narrow tongue, and with this 
he gathers up the eggs which have been 
put so nicely away in the little house. 

Every evening when it gets cool, the 
natives have a dance in the open plaza 

[131] 



HOW A LITTLE GIRL WENT TO AFRICA 

in the centre of their kraal. We could 
hear the boom, boom of their drums for 
miles around. Their drums are made 
from skins drawn tightly over the top of 
a barrel or something of the kind. 

They never shake hands as we do, but 
pass the palm of one hand through the 
hand of the other whom they wish to 
greet, at the same time snapping the 
ringers of the other hand as you see in 
the picture. 

The natives wear very little clothing. 
They usually had a little apron made 
from the skin of some animal, which they 
had killed, hung from their waist in the 
front and back. This came about to 
their knees, and was fastened in place 
by a leather belt. 

Sometimes the women wear a little 

[132] 



CURIOUS APRONS 

short skirt of skins. They wear many 
ornaments about their waist, arms, neck, 
and head. They are very fond of beads 
and make pretty ornaments with them. 
If they can get enough from the traders, 
who are passing through, they make little 
aprons from them. One woman gave us 
one of these aprons made from black, 
blue, and white beads, woven together 
in a very pretty pattern. 

I almost wished little white girls wore 
them too, for it seemed too pretty to put 
away and only look at with our other 
curios. I wondered how such black, 
ugly-looking people could make such 
beautiful things. 

Sometimes the missionaries would re- 
ceive a box filled with useful things sent 
from their friends in America. When 
[133] 



HOW A LITTLE aiRL WENT TO AFRICA 

sending one of these boxes, some one had 
thought to make some holders. They 
were bright, pretty squares, with a brass 
ring in the corner, such as we all have 
seen used around the stove. Finally 
they were soiled and had to be washed. 
They were hung on a bush near the house 

to dry. When Mrs. M went to get 

them they were gone, and although she 
searched carefully they could not be found. 
A few days later her little girl called 
to her, " Mamma, come and see your 
holders. 7 ' Sure enough, there were two 
natives who had come to the store across 
the way, each with a holder hung from 
a cord at his waist in place of the little 
apron which they usually wore. They 
walked even straighter than usual, with 
their basket of grain on their heads, for 

[134] 



CURIOUS APRONS 

they wore the white woman's apron now. 
Of course they did not know what the 
holders had been made for. 

Sometimes we would see the women 
with a great many bangles on their arms 
and ankles. These were made of beads, 
braided grass, or even strips of skin 
twisted together. Mamma counted as 
many as twenty on one woman's arm. 
Many of them wore about their arms or 
necks charms which they think will keep 
away disease. These were made from 
little pieces of carved wood from some 
sacred tree,' or else a leopard's claw or 
tooth. 

They gave us some of their snuff-boxes. 
These are made of gourds covered with 
beads. They have them hung from the 
belt at their waist. 

[135] 



ROW A LITTLE aiRL WENT TO AFRICA 

When Sabbath came, they flocked to 
the church for miles around. It was a 
strange sight to see those black people 
come into the church and sit on the bare 
clay floor with their legs crossed. They 
never sit on a chair. 

The missionaries told us that the natives 
do not like to wear clothing, but they 
said they were very proud if they could 
get something which a white man had 
once worn. 

A short distance from the mission is a 
fort where there are a great many Eng- 
lish soldiers. They trade their cast-off 
clothes to the natives for furs or ivory, 
and several who came to church had 
traded with them. Papa said he sup- 
posed they wished, when they came to 
church, to show the white people all the 

[136] 



CURIOUS APRONS 

nice clothes they had, so put on all they 
might have. One we noticed wore two 
or three coats, one over another, and an- 
other five vests. This was all they had 
on. 

Edith and I did have to smile a little 
even during the service, and you may be 
sure we had many a good laugh over 
their odd ways when we were quite 
alone. 



[13T] 



CHAPTEE XVII 

BLACK BABIES AND THEIR TOYS 

THE natives never take a bath, but 
anoint their bodies with an oint- 
ment made from grease and a 
powder having a peculiar odor. It was 
very sickening to us when several hun- 
dred crowded into the little church. 
There were no windows in the building, 
only openings left in the wall. These 
were crowded full of their black faces. 
The women make a little cradle of the 
skin of some animal and tie their babies 
in this upon their backs. Many had 
brought their babies with them in this 
[138] 



BLACK BABIES AND THEIR TOYS 

way, and they would look up with their 
bright eyes to the white man talking to 
them; then when they were tired, their 
little heads would nod about till they 
were fast asleep. 

I am sure many of these poor black 
people have tender hearts. Sometimes 
the tears would roll down their cheeks 
as papa told them the story of Jesus, 
and how He had died for them. 

We heard many stories of the brave 
things these natives have done after 
they became Christians. One missionary 
at another station, who had been in 
Africa over twenty years, told papa 
how he left his home mission to go 
many miles farther north to visit some 
tribes who had never had a missionary 
among them. He stayed with them 
[139] 



HOW A LITTLE aiRL WENT TO AFRICA 

about a year, and when he left, only one 
young girl about sixteen years old had 
been converted. 

After he had been home some time, 
he was awakened one night by a great 
noise among the natives who guarded 
the mission. They brought to him a 
strange girl, who they thought was a 
spy from another tribe. She had crept 
into the settlement during the night, 
and they thought she meant to do them 
harm, and wished to kill her. The 
missionary recognized her as the Chris- 
tian girl he had left in the far North. 

She had overheard her tribe planning 
to come to the mission station, burn 
their village, and kill the missionaries. 
She had been many days making the 
journey of over three hundred miles 
[140] 



BLACK BABIES AND THEIR TOYS 

alone through that wild country that 
she might warn them of their danger. 
She had lived on the berries and roots 
which she could find, and at night many 
times as she tried to sleep she could 
hear the roar of the great lions, and the 
howl of the hyenas, and other wild animals. 

She knew she could never go back 
to her people again, but she was will- 
ing to give up all else that she loved, 
and even risk losing her own life, if 
she could only save the white man who 
had taught her about the true God. 

A few days later the natives came, 
as they had planned, but the mission- 
aries had got help from the soldiers at 
the fort, and so through her bravery 
the missionaries were all saved. 

The natives called papa the " New 

[141] 



HOW A LITTLE GIRL WENT TO AFRICA 

"White Chief," and after each meeting 
they would try to come near to us, so 
they could touch our clothes or our faces 
or hair. 

I am sure, children, you must have 
wondered, as I so often have, even 
though they have so few clothes, how 
they made even what they did have. I 
knew they had no needles and thread 
as we have, and I wondered how they 
could fasten even the pieces of skin 
together so neatly. After visiting their 
kraals a few times, I learned how their 
dressmaking is done. 

Quite often we would see a native 
woman squatted outside their hut sew- 
ing little pieces of fur together. Their 
needles look much like wire nails with- 
out heads. They have no eyes. Some- 
[142] 



BLACK BABIES AND THEIR TOYS 

times they use a sharp thorn to make 
the holes in the skin. 

The thread is made of the sinews 
of different kinds of animals. It is 
hard and stiff when dry, but before it 
is wanted they soak it in hot water 
till it is soft, then pound it between 
two smooth stones until they can sepa- 
rate it as fine as they wish. It is very 
strong, and they seem to think it is 
quite the way to sew, but I am sure no 
little white girl would wish to make 
her dolly's clothes in this way. 

Whenever we came near a kraal, the 
children seemed like a swarm of bees, 
there were so many. They would always 
run out to see a white person pass, and 
make such strange noises, and go through 
such strange antics. They have very 
[143] 



ROW A LITTLE QIRL WENT TO AFRICA 

few playthings, but sometimes their 
fathers would carve them out a doll 
from wood. They gave us two little 
wooden boys with eyes, nose, and mouth 
marked by burning with a hot iron. 
They are bent over and look like little 
old men, but the children there are as 
proud of these toys as any little Ameri- 
can girl of her beautiful French doll. 

The heat was so intense that after a 
short stay in this hot country, mamma 
was exhausted, and papa did not dare 
have her remain longer, so we turned 
our steps toward the Cape, leaving papa 
to come later. 



[144] 




1. Native Apron, made of 


7 and 8. Native Dolls. 


Beads. 


9. Cluster of Bracelets. 


2 and 3. Snuff Boxes. 


10. Malay Doll. 


4. Assegai. 


11. Battle Axe. 


5. Knobby Stick. 


12. Ladle. 


6. Water Jar. 


13. Bead Collar. 




CHAPTER XVIII 

ERIGHTENED BY BOER SOLDIERS 

'HEN we reached Kimberley, we 
were very tired, and decided 
to make our friends there an- 
other short visit. While we had been 
far in the interior where papa and 
mamma could not see the papers, the 
English and Boers had become more 
stirred, until each day it was expected 
that war would be declared. As we 
came down on the train, we could see 
from our car window, near Mafeking and 
other places along the line, great num- 
bers of the Boers camped, and drilling 
[145] 



HOW A LITTLE aiRL WENT TO AFRICA 

for battle. There was also a large num- 
ber camped on the plain near Kimberley. 

The people had partially fortified the 
city, and had sentinels to watch the 
movements of the Boers and give 
the warning if they started to make an 
attack. They had a great search-light 
arranged so they could light up the 
plain for miles around. 

About midnight we were suddenly 
awakened by the ringing of bells and 
men crying out through the streets : 
" Prepare for an attack ! The Boers are 
coming!" Every one was excited. Our 
hearts beat very fast, and you may be 
sure, children, we were all terribly 
frightened. 

The men were armed with guns to 
defend the city, and the women and 
[146] 



FRiaHTENED BY BOER SOLDIERS 

children ran to the mines and went far 
underground in the tunnels which had 
been made by taking out the soil with 
the diamonds. Here we would be safe 
from the bullets and shells which we 
expected the Boers would fire into the 
city. That long night we shall never 
forget, but in the morning everything 
was quiet again, for the Boers had gone 
back into camp without firing the first 
shot. The people thought they had dis- 
covered that the signal of warning had 
been given, and knew the city was pre- 
pared to meet them. 

You may be sure we were thankful 
when it was again light, and the first 
train found us aboard started for Cape 
Town. My little friend Floy and her 
parents were coming with us, but 
[147] 



HOW A LITTLE aiBL WENT TO AFRICA 

were not ready in time, so decided to 
close up their home and come a few 
days later to remain at the Cape till 
the war was over. 

We crossed the great Modder River 
bridge, where that terrible battle was 
fought a few weeks later. I could not 
understand at first why they called it 
"Modder Eiver," or why they needed 
such a bridge, for I saw under it no 
water, only dry sand. Some of the 
passengers explained to us that in the 
wet season a great river flows over 
these sands, but in the dry season, like 
many of the other South African rivers, 
it is only a river of sand. 

At last we reached Cape Town, and 
oh, how glad we were that the long 
journey was at an end! But papa was 

[148] 



FRiaHTENED BY BOER SOLDIERS 

still far in the interior, and knew 
nothing of all that had taken place. 
We feared that he might not get down 
for a long time, for he must pass for 
miles on the line between the English 
and Boer countries. 

Finally mamma received a telegram 
that he had started from Buluwayo, 
then another that he had reached 
Machudi, but must wait there fourteen 
hours for an armored train to see them 
through, as the Boers had massed a 
great army near there in sight of the 
railroad, and they feared trouble. 

We were all too anxious to sleep. 
When mamma opened the paper next 
morning, she found the account of how 
the Boers had wrecked a train near 
Mafeking, a place through which papa 
[149] 



HOW A LITTLE aiBL WENT TO AFRICA 

must pass. It told how they had un- 
dermined the railroad, and when the 
train went over they had fired upon it, 
and then taken the passengers pris- 
oners. We supposed papa was among 
them, and did not know that we should 
ever see him again, but after several 
hours passed another message- came, 
saying his train passed that point safely, 
and he was still speeding toward us. 
It proved to be the next train which 
followed his that was wrecked. The 
train upon which papa travelled was the 
last to come from the interior for sev- 
eral months. 

You can imagine, children, what a 

happy meeting it was when papa finally 

stepped safely off from the train at 

Cape Town, and I was in his arms once 

[150] 



FRWHTENED BY BOER SOLDIERS 

more. How thankful we were to our 
dear Heavenly Father for sparing us to 
be all together again ! 

But dear little Floy and her papa 
and mamma in Kimberley had waited 
too long before starting. The city was 
besieged by the Boers, and for Rnq long 
months no one could tell what a day 
would bring to them. They could not 
receive or send one letter to their 
friends in all that time. We did not 
know but they were killed, for the city 
was stormed again and again. 

We learned afterward that their home 
had been struck by a shell, and they had 
a very narrow escape. Floy's mamma 
had been sitting at her desk writing a 
letter, that she might have it ready to 
send at the first opportunity. She had 
[151] 



HOW A LITTLE (JIRL WENT TO AFRICA 

just stepped to the door to speak to 
her little girl, when a shell came down 
in front of where she had been sitting 
and exploded in the room. We after- 
ward saw the letter which she had been 
writing with several holes blown in it. 

Another day when they thought all 
was quiet, Floy had gone out on her 
wheel for a ride. A shell struck the 
street where she had passed a moment 
before. Some of the people lived for 
weeks in underground cellars, as this 
was the only place where they were safe. 

Before relief came, the people suffered 
much from hunger. Some even ate the 
flesh of horses to keep them from starv- 
ing. We can imagine what rejoicing 
there was when a new force of soldiers 
reached them and put the Boers to flight. 
[152] 




CHAPTER XIX 

TEEEIBLE SIGHTS AMONG THE LEPEES 

APE TOWN was filled with people 
who had fled from the Transvaal 
and Orange Free State to escape 
the scenes of battle which they knew 
must follow. Even the open cattle cars 
were used to bring the people, and we 
saw women and little children who had 
been for hours in these open cars during 
a hard rainstorm. The boats from the 
east coast of Africa brought thousands 
of people to Cape Town. Many slept on 
blankets on the open decks, glad that 
they might have even that place. 

[153] 



BOW A LITTLE aiRL WENT TO AFRICA 

Every week boats from England came 
into the harbor loaded with soldiers and 
horses. Many of them camped for a few 
days near the city before going up coun- 
try. We got quite used to seeing the 
soldiers iri their red coats and little 
round caps which they always wore on 
one side of their heads. 

We might have enjoyed the drills and 
parades had we not thought what called 
them there. I always remembered the 
little girls and boys we had come to 
know in the Transvaal, and wondered if 
any of their papas or brothers would be 
killed. 

When the boat which brought General 

Buller reached Cape Town, there was a 

great celebration, and we all went down 

to see the people welcome him. They 

[154] 



TERRIBLE SIGHTS AMONG THE LEPERS 

hoped he would lead them to victory, and 
the war would soon come to an end. 

Every boat which left for England was 
crowded with those who were returning 
to their native land until peace was re- 
stored. Everything in all South Africa 
was in an unsettled state, and the minds 
of the people so filled with war that papa 
thought little would be gained by a 
longer stay, and we began to make prepa- 
rations for our long journey to America. 

So many people were leaving the coun- 
try that papa had to engage passage 
weeks ahead in order to get a stateroom. 
The first boat on which we thought to 
return to England was the Thermopylae, 
one of the White Star Line, returning 
from Australia by way of the Cape. As 
it was nearing the harbor, it ran on the 
[155] 



BO W A LITTLE aiBL WENT TO AFEIOA 

rocks in the darkness, and was wrecked. 
We went down to see it before it was 
entirely dashed to pieces. 

All the passengers were taken ashore 
in the little life-boats, so escaped drown- 
ing ; but on the vessel was a pair of very 
valuable horses owned by an actress who 
was travelling from Australia to England. 
They were tied into a stable built for 
them on one of the decks. In the excite- 
ment of saving their own lives, the horses 
were entirely forgotten by the people, 
no one even thinking to open their door 
or unfasten them. When the great boat 
parted their stable was torn down, and 
the noble horses broke loose and swam 
ashore uninjured. How every one cheered 
when they reached the shore in safety ! 

While we were waiting for the boat 
[156] 



TERRIBLE SIGHTS AMONG THE LEPERS 

upon which we were to sail, we improved 
the time visiting some places of interest 
around the Cape. 

A few miles from the harbor is a little 
island called "Leper Island/' because all 
the people in South Africa who have 
leprosy are banished there. Papa and 
mamma had planned for some time to 
take a trip to this island, and one fine 
morning all were ready to step on to the 
little steamer which makes a trip over 
and back three times a week. 

The island is a barren, sandy waste, 
but homes have been built to care for 
the poor sufferers. There were then 
about seven hundred lepers on the island. 
It was a terrible sight to see some with 
fingers and even hands gone, while others 
had lost one or both of their feet. 

[157] 



HOW A LITTLE aiRL WENT TO AFRICA 

Some of their faces were disfigured till 
they hardly looked like men and women. 
When a person is found to have leprosy 
and banished here, he knows he can 
never return, for there is no cure for 
him. 

One poor man pointed across the water 
to the mainland and tried to make us see 
the home where his wife and two dear 
little children lived. Our hearts were 
touched, as, with tears rolling down his 
cheeks, he looked longingly across the 
water to the loved ones who were so near, 
and yet knew he was forever separated 
from them in this life. 

There were some little boys and girls 
who had been separated from their par- 
ents, and must spend their lives there. 
The nurses were nearly all Christian men 
[158] 



TERRIBLE SiaHTS AMONd THE LEPERS 

and women who had gone there to do 
missionary work among them. I am 
sure nothing can make me more thank- 
ful for what I enjoy than to think of 
those poor lepers on that lonely island. 



[159] 




CHAPTER XX 

LITTLE BOER PLAYMATES IN TROUBLE 

r E had now spent about two 
years in South Africa, and I 
was very happy when I 
thought of seeing the dear ones from 
whom I had been parted so long, but 
mamma told us she was sure we should 
miss some of the pleasant things we had 
enjoyed at the Cape. 

The evenings in Africa were very 
pleasant, and I enjoyed looking up into 
the beautiful sky and watching the stars 
twinkle in the distance. Mamma said 

[160] 



LITTLE BOER PLAYMATES IN TROUBLE 

she loved to think some of the stars 
were the same we had so often seen in 
our far-away home. I looked for the 
Big Dipper ? but it never came in sight. 
I learned to find the pretty group of 
stars called the Southern Cross, of which 
the people there are very fond. Twice 
while at the Cape we had a beautiful 
rainbow by moonlight. 

I had almost forgotten the nickels, 
dimes, and dollars used* in America, as 
only English money was used there. I 
had learned the value of things in 
pounds, shillings, and pence, as you re- 
member are given in our table of English 
money. 

We had become much attached to the 
beautiful walks and drives, and I shall 
always remember the many friends in 

[161] 



HOW A LITTLE aiRL WENT TO AFRICA 

that far-away land. Two of my closest 
little friends were named Lily and Estelle. 
Their papa was an American and their 
mamma a Boer lady. They lived in a 
little cottage near the sanitarium, and 
we used to have some fine times gather- 
ing wild flowers, and riding our wheels 
together. But a terrible sorrow came to 
these little girls. Their papa was sus- 
pected of having furnished clothes and 
other help to the Boer soldiers, and the 
English government had him placed in 
jail. He was put in a little cell, about 
seven by nine feet large, with no chair 
or table, and only a poor little cot for a 
bed. There was no window in the cell, 
and the only light came to him through 
an auger-hole in the ceiling. 

None of his friends were allowed to 

[162] 



LITTLE BOER PLAYMATES IN TROUBLE 

see him or send him any message. He 
had nothing to do but to walk back and 
forth in his tiny room and wonder if he 
should ever see his wife and dear little 
girls again. 

Poor little Lily and Estelle ! I knew, 
after being separated from my own dear 
papa, how to pity my little friends in 
their great trouble. The evening of the 
sixtieth day the officer in charge asked 
him if he had any word to send to his 
family, or any business matters he 
wished arranged. This he knew meant 
that he was likely to be shot as a traitor, 
but the next morning better news awaited 
him. Through the influence of the Ameri- 
can consul at Cape Town his freedom 
was given him, and he was allowed to 
return home. 

[163] 



HOW A LITTLE QIRL WENT TO AFRICA 

But now lie was to be disappointed 
again. No little girls waited there to 
welcome him. In her great grief their 
mamma had spoken bitter words against 
English rule, and had fled with her chil- 
dren from the country. It was not till 
several weeks had passed and he had 
crossed the broad ocean to the United 
States that he was with his little girls 
again. 

The managers of the large sanitarium, 
where we made our home, were asked by 
the English government to give up their 
work for a time, as the building was 
needed for a great hospital, to care for 
the officers and soldiers who were 
wounded in the terrible battles which 
were being fought. 

Several of the nurses, who had come 

[164] 



LITTLE BOER PLAYMATES IN TROUBLE 

from America, decided to return with us, 
so when we bade good-by to this " Land 
of Flowers and Sunshine," our party 
numbered eleven. 



[165] 




CHAPTER XXI 

AN AWFUL STOKM AT SEA, AND HOME 
AGAIN 

UE boat was delayed several hours 
loading the horses which had 
been shipwrecked. They seemed 
to understand that their owner wished 
them to take another trip on the water, 
and even though they were blindfolded, 
they could not be induced to go into the 
little stall which was to be lifted by 
pulleys and swung over to the deck of 
our boat. The poor animals trembled 
till they could hardly stand. I am sure 
they remembered the terrible experience 
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AN AWFUL STORM AT SEA 

in the water on that night when they 
came so near being lost. 

At last they were on board the steamer 
and housed in their nice stable which had 
been built on one of the decks. After 
their fright was over they were very 
gentle, and the passengers made great 
pets of them during the long voyage. 

Our boat left the harbor just as twi- 
light was coming on, and in spite of the 
strong wind which was blowing, we re- 
mained on deck to catch the last glimpse 
of old Table Mountain, and watch the 
lights of the city fade away as we left 
the bay. 

As soon as we passed outside the har- 
bor, we found a terrible storm was rag- 
ing, and for the first time we were 
buried under waves " mountain high." 
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HOW A LITTLE GIRL WENT TO AFRICA 

The passengers rushed for their cab- 
ins, and we could hear all about us 
the groans and screams of the people. 
Some of them were sick and some were 
frightened, for they thought our boat 
would surely go down. Everything in 
the boat seemed to be torn from its 
place, and went crashing about. I am 
sure within a few minutes barrels of 
dishes must have been broken. Mamma 
took me into her berth, or I should have 
been thrown from my bed, as the boat 
rolled from side to side. 

For more than forty-eight hours it 
seemed as if our boat would be crushed 
by the angry waves, but at last the 
clouds lifted, the wind died away, and 
the waters grew calm once more. 

When we were able to be out on deck, 

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AN AWFUL STORM AT SEA 

I learned that during that terrible storm 
a dear little baby girl had been added to 
the passengers on our boat. After a few 
days mamma and I called to see the 
little stranger, and her parents told us 
such a funny thing about their baby's 
name. They said it was the rule on Eng- 
lish steamers, when a baby was born on a 
voyage, that it should bear the name of 
the ship's surgeon, and also the name 
of the vessel itself. 

Our doctor's name was DeArcey, and 
our boat the Avondale Castle, so the little 
one was christened Jessie DeArcey Avon- 
dale Moore. The passengers made up 
a nice purse which they presented to 
her. 

A few days before we reached the 
Canary Islands we were told that a man 

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HOW A LITTLE aiBL WENT TO AFRICA 

on our boat had been taken very ill, and 
a few mornings later we heard he had 
died. His- wife and one little boy were 
travelling with him. After a few hours 
the great wheels were still, and our boat 
stopped in mid-ocean while the burial 
service was read and his body lowered 
into the dark waters. 

When we came into the harbor of the 
islands, a large yellow flag was raised 
over our boat, and no one was allowed to 
come aboard, nor any of the passengers 
to go ashore, as they feared the man had 
died of some contagious disease. We 
were all much disappointed, for we had 
hoped to enjoy the delicious fruits again. 

A few days more brought us to Plym- 
outh, England, and after another short 
stop, we were again speeding across the 
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AN AWFUL STORM AT SEA 

broad Atlantic. When I stepped from 
the steamer in New York, papa reminded 
me that I had travelled a distance greater 
than around the world, or more than 
twenty-five thousand miles. 

Among the first to greet me was my 
dear little playmate Mildred, but during 
our two and one half years' absence she 
had grown so tall I scarcely knew her. 
You may be sure it did not take us long to 
get acquainted again, and together in her 
little cottage we many times live over, 
in imagination, the days when we were 
parted by the broad ocean. 

The schools had already opened, and I 
soon joined the others in their studies, 
and was happy to be a little schoolgirl 
once more. 

Geography has always been one of my 
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HOW A LITTLE GIRL WENT TO AFRICA 

most interesting studies, for to me it 
speaks of real countries and real people, 
and I trust that this simple story of the 
things which I saw in far-away lands 
will give some little girl or boy a peep at 
scenes which will add new interest to 
their school days. 



[172] 



WAY 2 1904 



